Health crisis leads Waylands Volvo to invest in defibrillators

A customer crisis at Volvo dealer group Waylands Automotive has led to all its dealerships installing defibrillators.

Staff at the Waylands Oxford branch came to the aid of a customer when he collapsed with a heart attack inside the showroom in the summer, treating him while an ambulance was on the way.

Now managing director John O’Hanlon has installed emergency automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at Waylands’ four dealerships in case they’re ever needed on site or by nearby residents and firms in future.

“First aid in the workplace is extremely important and this goes to show that it really does save lives,” said O’Hanlon.

“We place strong emphasis on ensuring the first aid training provided to our team members is up to date.

“In addition, we want to show our commitment to ensuring anyone in our local vicinity has access to essential first aid and lifesaving equipment, too.

“If any businesses or residents near one of our sites in Oxford, Reading, Swindon or Newbury should ever find themselves in a situation when defibrillators are needed, we’d like to remind them that ours are readily available.”

Computerised defibrillators, used to deliver an electric shock to someone who is in cardiac arrest, can be installed at workplaces or public areas for anyone to use because they provide clear instructions where to place the pads, automatically assess the heart rhythm and will only allow a shock to be given if it is necessary.

The customer, who is now recovering, wrote a letter of thanks to the team at Waylands Volvo Oxford, stating: “I must have given you all quite a scare for which I am sorry, but one thing is for sure – your first aid training was very good….Without doubt you saved my life.”

Waylands Automotive, O'Hanlon's own business he has founded since the sale of Ridgeway Group where he was chief executive, also joined the Refill HQ initiative this year, which encourages businesses to offer free tap water and to publicise free water refills on site for the public.

“We’ve put our tap on the map,” said O’Hanlon.