A man has thanked staff at One Leisure St Neots for saving his life after he had suffered a cardiac arrest in its swimming pool.
Chris Jarvis, from St Neots, was resuscitated on July 4 thanks to quick-thinking actions from two trained on-duty individuals who administered CPR and used an Automated External Defibrillator to save him.
Thanks to them, Chris survived the ordeal and met with the chair of Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC), Cllr Michael Burke, Cllr Simone Taylor, Executive Councillor for Leisure and the One Leisure staff at the leisure centre on August 17.
Chris said: “The professionalism and training of the team was textbook.
"I’d like to thank the council for making sure they’re trained in the way they are, and I am thankful to the One Leisure team for their ongoing support.
"Without this team and their training, I wouldn’t be here.”
One Leisure is managed by HDC, and Cllr Burke said: “It’s wonderful to be able to welcome Chris back to One Leisure St Neots.
"I am incredibly grateful the staff were able to help him at such a crucial time.
"It’s important to recognise the training the staff have had as putting it into a very real situation requires them to remain calm and focussed under pressure.”
Back in July, the on-duty lifeguard and team leader had spotted Chris needed help and kicked into action by sounding the drowning alarm.
Both began the CPR procedure and called the emergency services whilst the operations manager got the Automated External Defibrillator from reception which analysed Chris and gave instructions to shock.
Chris responded to the first shock and showed signs of normal breathing, movement and waking up.
After waking, Chris was able to talk and give his details so that the lifeguards could call his wife before he was transferred to the hospital and make a good recovery.
Chris' wife Val, on Facebook, said: "Lovely meeting the team again, it was a very productive meeting with all involved. Our thanks will never be enough.
"My husband and I will be forever grateful. Also, a big thanks to the swimmers in the pool at the time that helped to save Chris's life that day."
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