As agreed at the members meeting in June, HENRA gave Ā£330 towards the cost of a defibrillator at St. Nicholasā Church. After the meeting, Regency Living gave us a further Ā£600 so we could get a temperature controlled outdoor cabinet meaning that the device is available to all, 24/7. The total cost was Ā£1,438.80 and the Church has paid the Ā£508.80 balance and will be responsible for carrying out regular checks to ensure year round availability.
The Heartsine Automated External Defibrillator (AED) has now been installed, tested and registered on āthe circuitā (National Defibrillator Network) such that anyone needing access to the cabinet housing the device simply calls 999, states the postcode (affixed to the cabinet) and South Western Ambulance then gives the door code, dispatches an ambulance and offers advice whilst the AED is used.
Obviously, we hope never to need it, but itās reassuring to know that a life saving device is readily available just in case. At a future meeting we hope to have a short talk by a local First Responder who will explain how the device contributes to saving lives; but in the meantime, if anyone is interested in learning more, here is a short video from the makers of our UK manufactured, fully automatic, life saving AED.
