CPR training at Royal Mail after postie saves life

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Dan Howells
Image caption,

Remembering what happened, Dan Howells said it was "pure adrenaline"

Life-saving actions of a postal worker are being recognised with the roll-out of a training video across Royal Mail.

Dan Howells helped save Darryl Taylor, after the 78-year-old collapsed when collecting a package from Stourbridge sorting office in November.

Royal Mail reunited them earlier this year and made a video for staff highlighting Mrs Howells' abilities.

Mr Taylor has since had a pacemaker fitted and is recovering well.

He had gone into cardiac arrest and Mr Howells, who learned how to give the life-saving CPR treatment, external more than 18 years earlier on a football coaching course, began CPR as he waited for paramedics to arrive.

The postal worker, 42, continued resuscitation efforts for about 10 minutes and Mr Taylor's heart was successfully restarted by crews.

Image source, Royal Mail
Image caption,

An emotional Darryl Taylor appeared in the Royal Mail video

Royal Mail, which is partnering with British Heart Foundation, is rolling out more CPR and first-aid training.

Customer operations manager Steve Brettell said: "There's an opportunity now within the business for people to learn that skill, that vital skill, a skill that saves lives."

Image source, Royal Mail
Image caption,

The men were reunited earlier this year

Image source, Royal Mail
Image caption,

Wife Anne Taylor said the postal worker deserves "a medal" and "all the recognition we can give him"

In the video showing the two men being reunited, an emotional Mr Taylor said: "I just can't put into words, you know, what I think.

"When I say 'he saved my life' what more can you say?"

Mr Howells told the BBC: "I'm quite a modest man. So I'm not good at taking praise like that.

"But the fact again that Darryl's here to tell the tale shows that what I did that day was really important.

"[It was] pure adrenaline. It was just literally get on with it and just hopefully give him a best chance of survival as I could."

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