Dad says 'everyone should know CPR' after beach tragedy

A dad who performed Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) after a man drowned on the beach is stressing the importance of CPR knowledge.

Steven Calder was enjoying a walk on Crosby Beach, Merseyside in July 2021 when five young men were pulled from the sea after getting into difficulty in the water. Steven, who previously worked as a lifeguard, immediately recognised two of the men were in severe danger.

Steven began performing CPR on 21-year-old Hamza Mansoor while waiting for emergency services to arrive. Other bystanders carried out CPR on one of Hamza’s friends who was also in a critical condition.

Steven explained: “I was working on Hamza while someone else worked on his friend, but we could tell it wasn’t looking good. I still had to try and save him, so I sent someone for the nearest defibrillator and did CPR until paramedics got here.”

At the time, Steven says that the nearest defibrillator was located at Crosby Leisure Centre - and didn’t arrive until paramedics began working on Hamza. Although Hamza tragically lost his life, his friend survived thanks to rescue efforts and 40-year-old Steven has since been working to promote CPR knowledge and raise money to install defibrillators along the beach.

Steven added: “This was a really sad thing to happen, but we just want something good to come of it if that’s possible and make sure that nothing like this happens again.

“I can’t stress enough how important knowing how to do CPR is, it could literally save someone’s life.”

Figures show that less than one in ten people who suffer an out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survive, this figure includes those who suffer a cardiac arrest due to drowning. Prompt CPR and use of a defibrillator can double or triple the survival rate.

Working with local cafe owner Brian Williams, Steven set up The Prevention and Awareness of Drowning Foundation, working to raise money for defibrillators along the Sefton coast. 

Together they have raised over £9,000 and had three defibrillators installed along Crosby Beach following Hamza’s death - including one at the spot where Hamza was pulled from the water.

The defibrillators have been registered on The Circuit, and can be accessed by calling 999. No training is required to use the defibrillators, as full guidance is provided from the device.