Friday 24th May 2019 – 1.40pm – Daniel Rundle.
A remote part of Staffordshire is now home to a lifesaving piece of equipment thanks to the installation of a defibrillator.
Located in Dovedale, the defib has been provided thanks to a donation from the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council Chairman’s Charity fund, which was made by Councillor Ben Emery.
The defib, a device used to help restart the heart of someone in cardiac arrest, is in a secure cabinet on the outside wall of the toilet block on Dovedale Car Park. It can be opened by anyone in an emergency, with a code you will be provided with after calling 999. In addition to the defib, an emergency phone has also been donated which gives a direct line through to the emergency services by the push of one button.
Councillor Ben Emery met with community first responders Sally Stickland and Jon Lane on Wednesday (22nd May) to view the facility his donation helped to provide and find out more about the voluntary work of CFRs.
Sally Stickland, co-ordinator for Wetton and Alstonefield CFRs, said: “We’ve been wanting to get a defibrillator in Dovedale for many years as it is a very popular area with tourists and locals. We were pleased to be approached by Ben to see where the money could be used for a public access defibrillator.
“It has been placed in a locked cabinet due to its remote location and we were fortunate that the donation covered the cost of an emergency phone that was needed due to the poor mobile signal in the area.
“The phone has been used already a number of times by members of the public so it’s good to know we can be called to an emergency quickly if needed.”
Councillor Ben Emery said: “It’s been my honour to serve the Staffordshire Moorlands for the year 2017-18 as Chairman of the Council, and it’s been a pleasure to raise funds to enable a possible lifesaving piece of technology which will give everyone, including the lesser able visitors, peace of mind.
“The landline phone is extremely useful as it could be used for many other types of emergencies.
“I am delighted to thank the residents of the Staffordshire Moorlands and wider areas who helped myself and my consort Ms. Elaine Cashin to raise the enabling funds and achieve something that could benefit people of all ages.”
Ends
Notes to Editors:
Pictured (l-r) Sally Stickland, Councillor Ben Emery and Jon Lane.