Thursday 2nd April 2015 – 3pm – Chris Kowalik.
The owners of a hotel in Ironbridge in Shropshire have bought a vital piece of lifesaving equipment.
The defibrillator will be based at the Best Western Valley Hotel whose staff have undergone training from West Midlands Ambulance Service.
The machine that could restart the heart of someone who suffers a cardiac arrest won’t just be there for the benefit of hotel staff or guests, it will be available for anyone in the local community in the event of such a medical emergency. This will make it the first community defibrillator in Ironbridge to be publicly accessible round-the-clock.
Lesley Casson, the hotel’s owner, said: “We have so many guests of all ages staying here so knowing that we have a defibrillator on the premises and trained staff means if anyone was to fall ill we can start lifesaving treatment straight away whilst we await the arrival of an ambulance crew. Those vital minutes and seconds during a cardiac arrest can make all the difference to saving a life.
“We will also be making it available to the local community should it ever be needed in an emergency.
“As a hotel, we operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week so if anyone requires urgent medical attention and the use of the defibrillator in the middle of the night, our machine will be available and trained staff on hand to assist.
“We hope of course we never need to use it but if anything does happen we know we have got the equipment to start lifesaving treatment before medical professionals arrive.
“We have read many stories where the use of a defibrillator has helped save lives and we are very pleased to now have one here at the hotel and for public use.”
Dawn Bush, Community Defibrillator Facilitator at West Midlands Ambulance Service who provided the training, said: “For every minute someone is in cardiac arrest, their chance of survival reduces by ten per cent. The more there are of these machines in communities, the better.”
For more information about CPR and defibrillators, contact Cliff Medlicott, West Midlands Ambulance Service’s Community Response Manager on 07884 050 877 or cliff.medlicott@wmas.nhs.uk or the Community Response department on 01384 215 855 or CFRAdmin@wmas.nhs.uk
Ends