The Parish Council is delighted that there are two defibrillators in the village:
- on the wall of the Village Hall
- in the old phone box on Chatsworth Road
A defibrillator is a device that gives a high energy electric shock to the heart through the chest wall to someone who is in cardiac arrest. This high energy shock is called defibrillation, and it’s an essential life saving step in the chain of survival. If you come across someone who has had a cardiac arrest, it’s vital to call 999 and start CPR. Then you should find out if there is a defibrillator nearby.
Defibrillators are very easy to use. Although they don’t all look the same, they all function in broadly the same way. The machine gives clear spoken instructions. You don’t need training to use one.
- If you come across someone who is not breathing or breathing erratically, the most important thing is to call 999 and start CPR to keep the blood flowing around the body. After a cardiac arrest, every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces someone’s chance of survival by 10 per cent.
- If you’re on your own, don’t interrupt the CPR to go and get a defibrillator. If it’s possible, send someone else to find one. When you call 999, the operator can tell you if there’s a public access defibrillator nearby.
- Once the defibrillator is open and in position, all you have to do is follow the spoken instructions. The defibrillator detects the heart’s rhythm, it won’t deliver a shock unless one is needed.