Heron Bros become the first construction firm in Northern Ireland to deliver lifesaving CPR training to its employees

The British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland have teamed up with Heron Bros in an initiative which saw them become the first construction firm in Northern Ireland to deliver lifesaving CPR training to its employees.

Staff from the award-winning construction and property development firm – one of the largest in Northern Ireland – learned lifesaving CPR skills at the company’s headquarters in Draperstown using the RevivR training tool.

The free, interactive and easy-to-use CPR training tool was developed by the British Heart Foundation and teaches users how to preform CPR and use a defibrillator using just a smartphone and a cushion.

There are around 1,400 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Northern Ireland each year and less than one in 10 survive these. Every minute without cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by up to 10%. Performing CPR can more than double chances of survival.

Head of British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland (BHFNI), Fearghal McKinney, said: “We were thrilled to team up with Heron Bros and share lifesaving CPR skills using our online interactive training tool, RevivR.

“Heron Bros is the first construction company in Northern Ireland to take part in this training and join a host of other large firms who have already delivered CPR training to their employees in partnership with BHFNI.

“These skills will not only help employees deal with cardiac arrest emergencies in the workplace, but also in their own homes and communities.

“CPR training can help save lives and we want as many people as possible to learn these skills as we continue to build a community of lifesavers.”

Caroline Hughes, safety, health, environment and quality manager at Heron Bros, explained: “At Heron Bros, we are proud to champion Healthier Better Lives for everyone and remain steadfast in our commitment to the health and wellbeing of all our employees and their families.

"We were pleased to welcome the British Heart Foundation to our offices in Draperstown, where they delivered crucial training on CPR and Defibrillator use to our team.

"The session was incredibly insightful, with 25 colleagues taking part and utilising the BHF’s innovative RevivR tool which requires just your phone and a cushion to learn life-saving skills that can make a real difference in critical situations.

"It was a powerful reminder that anyone can acquire these skills and provide vital assistance without relying solely on specialised equipment. The Heron Bros team left the training feeling much more confident about what to do in an emergency and we look forward to now rolling this out across all sites with our own unique BHF training login.”