Life Saving Defibrillators in the Parish

We have three Community Access AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) in the Parish. This is great news as the swift use of a Defibrillator in a cardiac emergency along with performing CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) on the casualty until the Ambulance arrives, really does save lives. For those of you living in the South-East of the Parish, there is another Defibrillator outside the Village Hall in Mount.

Our two new Defibrillators, courtesy of generous funding from the Callybarrett Wind Turbine Community Fund and the National Lottery, have been installed by FLEET/Duchy Defibrillators on the outside wall of the Chapel in Millpool and beside the Common in Littledowns. The cabinet housing the original Defibrillator in the old telephone box opposite the School in Cardinham has been upgraded. Thanks must also go to the people who are “hosting” the new installations, as well as to those volunteers who respond and help in an emergency.

Although AEDs are easy and safe to use, and will automatically “talk you through” exactly what to do in an emergency, it’s very useful if you’re able to attend a short training session to learn first hand how to use the equipment and perform CPR in a relaxed atmosphere before you might need to act in earnest. We will be offering sessions over the coming months in Cardinham and Millpool, and are also looking for people who would like to host small groups of friends and neighbours in their own homes for training. In this way we can get the message spread widely across the Parish, so please let us know if you would like to host a session.

In the meantime, please make sure you know where the closest Defibrillator to you is located, and ideally find yourself a personal “Defib Buddy” who you can ring in an emergency and ask to collect the Defibrillator for you and help administer CPR with you until Paramedics and the Ambulance arrive. You can also offer to be a “Buddy” for your friends.

Your first action in any emergency of course is to ring 999 to request an Ambulance. All of the information you need on what to do in a cardiac emergency and how to give CPR is on the Red Card that the Parish Council sent out to all households last year – the only change is that you now have to ask the Ambulance Control Phone Operator to give you the key code so that you can unlock the cabinet to get the Defibrillator.  If your Card has been mislaid you can get a replacement from me. Full details are also on our website www.cardinhamparish.net

If you feel you can offer to help, we’re looking for volunteers who could monitor our AED cabinets every so often or join our small Support Network of people who respond to emergency alerts, if they are available, and go to where the Defibrillator has been taken to assist before the Paramedics arrive. In the longer term it would be fantastic if the Parish could develop its own First Responder Network of trained people able to administer a range of First Aid to casualties. If you have any thoughts on this, please let us know.

If you want to know anything more or think you can help, please let me know by emailing cardinhameditor@cardinhamparish.net  or by contacting the Parish Council directly. Many thanks in anticipation!