London Ambulance Service crew surprised live on television

A grateful patient surprised an ambulance crew and thanked them on national television for helping to save his life.

Ron was a surprise guest on Morning Live today leaving London Ambulance Service crewmates paramedic Kez Ogbulafor and emergency medical technician Omar Abdi stunned.

Kez and Omar were on the sofa with presenters Gaby Roslin and Rav Wilding as patient Ron and his wife Meryl joined them on a big screen.

Ron said: “I would like to say a very sincere thank you to you guys and every single morning when I wake up I just thank God for a new day.”

Meryl added: “A very big thank you for the work you all do, if it wasn’t for you he wouldn’t be attending his son’s wedding next year.”

Kez and Omar were part of a team who responded when Ron collapsed outside Buckingham Palace last winter.

Fortunately members of the public had already stopped to help Ron and gave him life-saving chest compressions – also known as CPR – until the first paramedic arrived.

Paramedics attached a defibrillator and delivered a shock which helped restore a normal heart rhythm.

Kez and Omar then took Ron to hospital on blue lights and sirens, acknowledging that a stranger’s actions had saved Ron’s life.

Omar said: “If you don’t start compressions before the ambulance arrives, the chance of a person surviving decreases with every minute.

“When we ask people to do bystander CPR, it’s there to save a life. When you call 999, you become part of the ambulance team so it’s really important for man, woman or child, you put your hands on the chest and pump hard and fast. You’ll help us do our job.”

Fewer than one in 10 people survive a cardiac arrest but if CPR is started before an ambulance arrives, it can double someone’s chances. CPR keeps blood flowing to the brain.

Morning Live presenters Gaby and Rav asked Kez and Omar to teach them some simple life-saving skills.

The pair demonstrated how to perform CPR and how to use a defibrillator – you can learn what to do here.

Ron’s story features in tonight’s episode of BBC One’s award-winning documentary Ambulance which is on at 9.30pm.

The cameras follow Kez and Omar for the dramatic episode and later in the show the pair are seen helping a woman who has fallen down the stairs at Victoria Tube Station and badly injured her ankle.

The crew help advanced paramedic Barry as he manipulates the patient’s dislocated ankle back into place.

Meanwhile outside Oval Tube Station, Tactical Response Unit paramedic Abi is seen arriving at the scene of a serious collision involving a bus and a police van at a busy junction.

Five police officers are among the injured, one of whom is thought to have suffered spinal injuries and could be at risk of paralysis.

Abi takes charge at the scene and later in the show reflects on what it means to be a member of the Tactical Response Unit, a team of paramedics trained to respond to high-risk and complex incidents.

She said: “It encompasses being able to help people in the most traumatic moment. We are trained to take risks for the benefit of patient care and saving lives.

“When everyone is running from something, you are the one running towards it.”

To find out about a career at London Ambulance Service, you can visit this web page.