First aid volunteer fined £100 parking ticket while saving cardiac arrest victim

A community first responder was fined £100 after attending to a man in cardiac arrest at Hollingbury Golf Course in Brighton. Zac Street, 32, volunteers with the GoodSAM initiative and was called to the course when a father accompanying his son collapsed. He rushed to the scene as multiple ambulances and an air ambulance arrived, and he parked in the club’s car park to render care while paramedics worked. In the heat of the moment, he said, the priority was saving a life, not monitoring a parking limit.

Days later, Street received a letter from GXS Services, a private parking enforcement company, demanding £100 for overstaying a 30-minute limit without authorization. The charge was later reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days. Street appealed the ticket, outlining the life-or-death circumstances and the urgency of the emergency, but the company initially rejected his plea. "The signage on site including several you must pass to enter the car park, clearly explain the terms and conditions of parking. By continuing to park, you are deemed to have accepted the terms and conditions displayed on the signage accordingly," the company wrote in a response.

Street has volunteered with GoodSAM for five years and has responded to around 60 category-one emergencies, the most serious type of incident. He also volunteers with the coastguard, illustrating the breadth of his community service. The incident at Hollingbury highlighted the tension between emergency responders’ rapid, life-saving actions and the sometimes rigid policies of private parking firms operating on club grounds.

In a statement later obtained by local media, Street recounted the scene: ambulances were deployed, and an air ambulance landed as he assisted with basic life support and coordination until the casualty’s condition could be stabilized. He said there were moments when the focus was solely on the patient, not on where the vehicle was parked. "You’re putting yourself out of your way to help someone and there’s always someone out there trying to get you," Street recalled in recounting the confusion and stress of the moment. The sequence of events underscored the high stakes first responders face when responding to cardiac arrests, where every second can influence outcomes.

GXS Services has been contacted for comment on the case, and there was no immediate public statement available regarding the cancellation of the fine beyond what Street’s local reports described. The outcome — a cancellation after media involvement — drew attention to how private parking enforcement interacts with medical emergencies and volunteers who operate outside paid staff obligations. Advocates for volunteer responders say clear, exception-based guidance is essential to ensure that lifesaving efforts aren’t penalized by administrative rules that may not account for emergency needs.

Street’s experience is not unique within the volunteer response community, where responders often balance urgent public health duties with logistical and regulatory constraints. GoodSAM, which coordinates volunteer responders to medical emergencies via smartphones and dispatch protocols, has become a cornerstone of community-level emergency response in many areas, extending the reach of traditional ambulance services. In Brighton and across the country, volunteers like Street are called to scenes ranging from cardiac arrests to severe injuries, often arriving ahead of or alongside professional crews. Their work can mean the difference between life and death, yet administrative hurdles can complicate or delay their ability to assist, particularly in settings with complex parking and access rules.

The incident at Hollingbury also raises questions about how private parking operators interpret and enforce terms in spaces that are simultaneously used for emergencies and public recreation. While the terms of parking agreements are standard in many venues, emergency responders are not typical customers, and signage sometimes fails to reflect the exceptional circumstances that accompany medical emergencies. In the wake of Street’s experience, local officials and health advocates may look for clearer exemptions or discretionary leniency in similar situations, ensuring that the imperative to save lives remains the priority during critical incidents.