Friday 16th October 2015 – 1.30pm – Claire Brown.
It’s Restart a Heart Day today. Would you know what to do if someone you loved had a cardiac arrest?
When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, the longer they wait for CPR the less likely they are of surviving. Every second counts when your heart has stopped beating.
Ian Hough, 59 from Stourport-on-Severn, is a cardiac arrest survivor and knows all too well the benefits of CPR and a defibrillator. His story has been turned into a powerfully emotional short film called ‘Pull Through’, produced by his employer drpvideo, to encourage other communities to get a defibrillator.
If you have somewhere which is accessible to the public and are committed to training your local community, visit http://www.bhf.org.uk/defibs to apply for a free defibrillator. The British Heart Foundation has been given £1million by the Department of Health to offer free defibrillators and CPR training to communities across England. As your local ambulance service we’ll support your application.
Emma Bogle, the Trust Head of Community Response, said: “Defibrillators are easy to use, they even tell you what to do. Ian survived his cardiac arrest thanks to the quick thinking of those around him and a defibrillator. As your local ambulance service, we’ll support your BHF application to help you secure your lifesaving device.”
To contact West Midlands Ambulance Service about defibrillators, please email cfradmin@wmas.nhs.uk.
ENDS