Wednesday 6th November 2013 – 1.30pm – Suzie Fothergill.
A village in Staffordshire has recently converted a disused red telephone box into a new home for a lifesaving defibrillator.
The Community Public Access Defibrillator (CPAD) which was purchased by Checkley Parish Council went live on Thursday 31st October and can now be found in the phone box outside Hollington Village Hall.
Ten villagers to date have been trained in the use of the defibrillator and general first aid techniques.
Victoria Tufail, West Midlands Ambulance Service Community Response Manager said: “As a service we strongly believe that by having defibrillators installed in public places and by having people trained in their use, helps to ensure that the best care possible can be provided quickly and effectively prior to the arrival of an ambulance.
“The quicker someone in cardiac arrest is defibrillated, not only improves the chance of their survival, but it can also help to improve the chances of a patient’s full recovery and reduce the time to do so. For every minute a patient is in cardiac arrest, their chance of survival decreases by 10 percent. So every second really does count!”
Should anyone suffer a cardiac arrest the first port of call should always be to dial 999 and commence CPR immediately. However, anyone dialling 999 for a cardiac arrest from within Hollington Village will now be advised of the location of the defibrillator and given the code to open the secure cabinet in which it is housed. The ambulance call assessor has the ability to talk any caller, trained or untrained, through instructions in how to use the device. The defibrillator itself also provides voice guidance throughout and pictorial guides are also present.
Sharon Farnell, Parish Clerk said: “A little while ago the Parish Council were presented with the opportunity to adopt a redundant telephone box. As we had managed to raise some funds during the Diamond Jubilee it was decided that we would put the money to good use and purchase a defibrillator and place it within the phone box. As the Hollington is a very small rural village we thought it would be beneficial to have access to such a lifesaving device.
“I would like to express my thanks to West Midlands Ambulance Service for their advice regarding the purchase of the defibrillator and for providing the free training, which we all thoroughly enjoyed.”
For more information about community initiatives and free lifesaving first aid courses provided by West Midlands Ambulance Service please visit http://www.wmas.nhs.uk/Pages/HeartStart.aspx or www.wmas.nhs.uk/Pages/CFRs.aspx.
Ends
Pictured: Peter Wilkinson, Vice Chair of Checkley Parish Council with the defib.