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Whirlpool UK Appliances – the parent company to KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Hotpoint and Indesit – has announced a partnership with British Heart Foundation (BHF).
A key aspect of the partnership is that all employees of Whirlpool UK Appliances will receive training on how to safely deliver cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The 45-minute training sessions will provide colleagues with the ability to give life-saving treatment to someone in cardiac arrest.
According to BHF, over 30,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of a hospital every year and the chance of survival is reduced by 10% for every minute that the person suffering a cardiac arrest is not receiving CPR and defibrillation.
Whirlpool UK said its engineers and logistics team members are in contact with the public on a daily basis and are therefore ideally placed to provide CPR. Its staff have also been taking part in volunteering opportunities to support BHF, as well as raising funds for the charity.
Ian Moverley, director of UK corporate reputation and public affairs for Whirlpool UK Appliances, commented: “We are pleased to announce our partnership with British Heart Foundation and to support the charity in continuing to conduct research into heart and circulatory diseases that affect so many people on a daily basis.
“We hope our colleagues will never have to deliver CPR. However, providing and supporting them with the right training could save lives. We expect our colleagues will also share their knowledge with friends and family, further extending the life-saving work of the British Heart Foundation.”
British Heart Foundation fundraising manager of Bedfordshire & Cambridgeshire Sarah Cunningham added: “I’m thrilled to be working with Whirlpool UK Appliances and excited about facilitating the roll-out of CPR to their workforce, making them a company of lifesavers as part of our Nation of Lifesavers campaign.
“Our partnership will engage staff and the communities they visit, as well as raise awareness of heart and circulatory diseases. Whirlpool UK Appliances is committed to helping us achieve our mission of beating heartbreak forever, and we are so grateful.”
Whirlpool UK Appliances staff volunteering at a British Heart Foundation shop in Peterborough
