St John Ambulance action saves referee at football match

A football referee is recovering in hospital, after two members of Hertfordshire St John Ambulance  saved his life at a weekend tournament.


Colin West and Clive Gay, both from Watford division, were on duty at an Under 18 Watford Friendly League Tournament when a referee – believed to be about 50-years-old – collapsed on the pitch.

The man was found by Colin and Clive to be fitting, but the patient’s condition quickly deteriorated into a full cardiac arrest. He was then treated with CPR, and with a defibrillator.

Their actions have been praised by the chief executive of Hertfordshire FA, John Marchant. He was also refereeing at the weekend match and watched events unfold.

He said: “I’m quite certain in my mind that if the St John Ambulance guys had not acted as they did, the referee would have died.

“They were brilliant. They saved his life and I personally believe that if we had not had them on duty at the event, and were reliant on calling for an ambulance, those vital few extra minutes could have meant that we were too late.”

Commenting on the events of last Sunday, Colin West, who joined St John Ambulance Hertfordshire in 1978 said: “We were fortunate to have been on scene when the man collapsed, because time was very much of the essence.

“We were able to restore circulation before the NHS ambulance arrived, and the patient was then transferred to Watford General Hospital.”

He added: “In all the years I have been with St John, this is the first time my skills have been called into action to quite such a degree. It was a frightening scenario but you simply go into automatic-pilot and call on the training you have spent so long learning.

“The incident really proves how important it is to have the equipment with us when we are out and about at public events. Fortunately, defibrillators are far more mobile these days – and in this case, it is this which has saved his life.”

The defibrillator used in the incident had been purchased by St John Ambulance, from a bequest received in memory of a former member of the Watford division.

The referee, who is now understood to be recovering slowly, was subsequently transferred from Watford General Hospital to the intensive care unit of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington.