Firefighters train shop staff in life-saving skills
CITY firefighters will offer lifesaving skills to retailers working in one of Glasgow’s biggest shopping centres.
Firefighters at Cowcaddens fire station have already trained staff at John Lewis i n Buchanan Galleries and now they hope to pass on the skills to other retailers.
It is part of an initiative which aims to equip people with skills which could make a difference in a life or death situation.
Cowcaddens Fire Station has training equipment on site, thanks to a partnership with the British Heart Foundation.
The Buchanan Galleries also has a life-saving defibrillator within the shopping centre.
Now it is hoped that more retailers will take up the training and the Evening Times understands a meeting will be held between the firefighters and shopping centre bosses to discuss a roll-out.
Watch manager Kenneth Reed, who has been with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) for 15 years, said: “The positive thing about this is that the shops get so many customers and if someone did take unwell they now have the confidence to deal with it.”
He added: “We also want to expand it to other big businesses in Glasgow, not just shops. We also will promote the free service to big organisations who have lots of staff.”
The latest roll-out to retailers comes after we reported that firefighters were offering the skills to the public.
Watch manager Reid previously told The Evening Times: “The Scottish Government have got a target to save 1000 lives between the year 2015 and 2020.
“They want to train 500,000 people in CPR. It is a partnership with the British Heart Foundation that our chief officer Alasdair Hay signed up with to try to achieve these targets that the Scottish Government has set.
“The British Heart Foundation provide us with the equipment and the DVD. We, as a fire service, just facilitate the CPR input. We use our stations, we use the equipment provided and we get firefighters involved to facilitate the training.
“Every station in Scotland has this equipment and we just want to get the message out there.”
For more information, or to register, e-mail kenneth.reed@ firescotland.gov.uk.