Bristol bus driver’s life-saving legacy unveiled in city centre
A Bristol bus driver has unveiled life-saving equipment in the city centre at the same spot where his colleague suffered a cardiac arrest.
First Bus driver and relief CCTV analyst Carlos Santos, aged 39, from Cadbury Heath, has fundraised for a defibrillator, which has been installed outside Turtle Bay on Broad Quay and which has financially supported the installation and maintenance.
The installation is in memory of his late colleague, fellow driver Richard Dewdney, who sadly died after suffering a heart attack following his cardiac arrest at the location in December.
Carlos, whose wife and 23-year-old son are also First Bus drivers in Bristol, is so passionate about helping to save lives in the city that earlier this year he set up BristolResus4All – a not-for-profit organisation established to fundraise for more defibrillators in the city and ensure the current network of devices are properly maintained and available to the public. His aim is to ensure that no matter where you are in Bristol, you are no more than three minutes return walk away from a publicly accessible defibrillator.
With nearly 400 people a week in the UK dying from a heart attack, Carlos, whose been a bus driver for over 18 years and previously as a Special Police Constable, says many deaths could be prevented simply by making more defibrillators available for public use.
He said: “It’s so important to get more defibrillators made available and ensure existing ones are properly maintained because people have been dying unnecessarily. And it doesn’t matter what age, it can happen to anybody.
“Every year in the UK, more than 30,000 people suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Without immediate CPR, their chances of survival drop by 10% every minute. Yet many bystanders still hesitate to help.
“As a human being we should all want to help if someone is in need, and while you’re waiting for an ambulance we should be able to take out a nearby defibrillator and try to save a life. Let’s make hesitation a thing of the past. Because doing something is always better than doing nothing
“The launch of BristolResus4All was born out of a deep commitment to making our community safer. Through my jobs I’ve seen first-hand how quickly medical emergencies can unfold, and I wanted to do something proactive. It was the tragic loss of my colleague Richard and another sudden heart attack in the city centre that reinforced my desire to improve accessibility to defibrillators and CPR training. I realised that many people want to help in an emergency but don’t have the knowledge or resources to act effectively.”
While Carlos is hoping to increase the number of defibrillators in Bristol, he says part of the challenge is keeping existing equipment maintained and updated, and has called on the public and businesses to contact BristolResus4All if any are ‘out of service’ or if you wish to install a defibrillator at your premises.
Within 12 hours of the new Broad Quay defibrillator being installed it had already been accessed by a member of the public following a nearby medical emergency, but luckily ambulance crews arrived in time before it needed to be used.
The device, which was officially unveiled this week in memory of 79-year-old Richard Dewdney, who had only joined the First Bus team in 2022, now features on the British Heart Foundation’s Defib Finder website – an interactive map showing you the nearest life-saving equipment.
Richard Chinnock, a First Bus Operations Manager in Bristol, thanked Carlos for his fundraising efforts in memory of Richard. He said: “Firstly, I’d like to pay tribute to our former colleague Richard Dewdney, who was a much-loved member of the team here in Bristol, and also thank those colleagues, members of the public and emergency crews who came to his aid during his heart attack on Broad Quay. I know many were deeply moved when he later sadly died in hospital, and we were able to pay our own tribute by displaying his name on one of our buses during his funeral.
“I’d also like to pass on my gratitude to another colleague, Carlos Santos, whose dedication and determination has brought another life-saving device to Bristol city centre. Inspired by Richard’s passing, Carlos’ efforts will, no doubt, go on to help save other lives and that will be a legacy Richard would be proud of.”
Richard’s son, also called Richard, paid tribute to his dad and thanked both Carlos and First Bus for the fundraising and support given after his death. He said: “My Dad was the type of person that once you met him you would never forget him, he loved his family with all of his heart and soul; family was everything to him, being as close as we were makes it all the more painful to acknowledge that he has gone forever.
“I’m sure he would of been very pleased that the fundraising by Carlos has been a success, and if it prevents another family feeling the heartache that my family has felt, then, although bittersweet, Carlos’s efforts are very much appreciated.
“Dad loved his job; it was actually his second employment with First Bus, he didn’t want to retire fully, he wanted something to get stuck into, he has always been a very hard-working man, something which he instilled in me also. He will always be missed, and life will never be the same without him, the idea of a plaque commemorating him, I’m sure, is something he would have been proud of.
“I would like to thank First Bus on behalf of myself and my family for all their help and support in what has been a particularly difficult time for us all."
More information about BristolResus4All, which works with other organisations including Great Western Air Ambulance, Avon and Somerset Police and Defibs4Bristol, can be found on its Facebook page, and donations can be made on its JustGiving page.