A security officer has been praised for his quick thinking that potentially saved the life of a woman at a popular Cork retail store.
Mercury Security & Facilities Management’s Paul Telfer, security officer at Life Style Sports in Cork’s The Capitol shopping centre, was on his patrol last week when he spotted a woman collapsing from an apparent seizure in the busy store.
Cork-based Paul immediately made his way to the scene and placed the woman into the recovery position. As he assessed the situation Paul realised the woman was turning blue and acted quickly to prevent her from swallowing her tongue.
Paul remained with the woman until medical assistance arrived and she was taken from the premises in a stable condition by ambulance.
Life Style Sports Store Manager, Saoirse O’Shea strongly believes that Paul’s quick thinking prevented a much more serious incident occurring to the patient who is now recovering well.
“Paul’s reaction to this event was as quick as any first responder I have ever seen,” said Saoirse. “He immediately grabbed the lady and eased her into the recovery position. He began to assess the situation and noticed she had begun to turn blue. Upon noticing this, he reacted quickly and opened her mouth and found she was swallowing her tongue whilst having the seizure and pulled her tongue out.
“We couldn’t thank Paul enough for what he did that day, he was nothing short of a hero. Only for Paul’s quick reactions this would have been a much more serious incident,” added Saoirse.
Mercury Security Director Liam Cullen said: “At Mercury we pride ourselves on the excellent standards of security we have maintained over the years and Paul’s actions in this instance are an example to everyone in terms of knowledge of the job and speed of response.
“It’s one thing knowing how to do your job but the ability to keep your head, remain calm and carry out your duties in a reliable and effective manner is crucial in this business. These skills could not be demonstrated any better than Paul’s actions on this occasion and we are extremely proud to have him on our team,” added Mr Cullen.
Mercury Security was appointed by Life Style Sports last year to provide a manned security solution at their flagship store in The Capitol shopping centre. The store, which is located in the heart of Cork city centre, is the largest Life Style Sports location to date at 20,000 square feet, making it one of the biggest sports fashion retail spots in the country.