Volunteer praised for saving man in cardiac arrest

A community first responder has been praised for "almost certainly saving the life" of a man in his village by attending a 999 call about chest pains as he neared the end of his shift.

Vounteer Phil Fuller had driven round to assess Robert McWilliams, 75, when the patient went into cardiac arrest at home in Hullbridge, near South Woodham Ferrers.

Mr Fuller began a round of CPR and gave the patient a shock with a defibrillator before back-up arrived, with Mr McWilliams going on to make a full recovery.

"I vividly remember Phil but not much else and I don't know what would have happened if he hadn't been there," said Mr McWilliams, who recently met up with Mr Fuller and the ambulance team who helped him.

"Thankfully, he was and they worked together amazingly to save my life."

"I can't praise the team enough for saving my life and it was great to meet them all."

Mr Fuller, who is an emergency care assistant at the East of England Ambulance Service, was due to finish his volunteer shift at midnight on 17 October when the 999 call came in at 23:45 BST.

He contacted the dispatcher to say he would attend as it was just a short drive from his home - a decision that "almost certainly saved the life" of Mr McWilliams, the ambulance service said.

The patient had been been experiencing chest discomfort and pain, which became more intense and woke him from his sleep on the night of the call.

In 10 minutes, he was being assessed by Mr Fuller, and went into cardiac arrest 15 minutes later.

Two ambulances, and ambulance officer vehicle attended, with Mr McWilliams taken for treatment at Essex Cardiothoracic Centre at Basildon Hospital.

Mr Fuller said he was "so grateful" he was able to be there when Mr McWilliams went into cardiac arrest and use his training.

"It's quite emotional and a great feeling knowing that you have saved someone's life," he added.

"I was a community first responder before I joined the ambulance service, and I love every minute of working and volunteering for my community."

Claire Ruddy, who manages community response in Essex, said the service was under "significant pressure" at the time, and Mr McWilliams may not have had the intervention in time had Mr Fuller not attended.