Defibrillators in Bramhall
18 Jan 2016Defibrillators in Bramhall – Everyone living, working or visiting in Bramhall needs to read this…it’s important live saving information.
Cardiac Arrest, when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body, will ALWAYS lead to death within minutes – indeed, the chance of survival decreases by 23% per minute – unless CPR or a defibrillator is used. In fact, cases of Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest very rarely have a good outcome, and in just one year, 2013, paramedics attempted to resuscitate 28,000 cases of Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest – although there would’ve been countless more cases where, sadly, it was just too late to attempt resuscitation. However, as more and more people undertake first aid and CPR (Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation) training, and more defibrillators are made publicly available, we are now hearing of happy endings – including the high profile cases of comedian Ted Robbins and footballer Fabrice Muamba.
The UK Resuscitation Council suggests that a defibrillator should be made available anywhere that medical assistance is over five minutes away. Unless you live right next to a hospital, that’s practically everywhere in the UK. The chances of surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with CPR alone are just 5%, but 50% will survive when treated with CPR and a defibrillator. Many people worry that they may not know what to do, or they may inadvertently shock someone who doesn’t need it, but defibrillators are simple to use, and safe. The machine gives clear spoken instructions and automatically detects the heart’s rhythm, so it won’t shock unless necessary.
Fortunately, last October two defibrillators were installed in Bramhall Village, one at the Methodist Church and at Bramhall Village Club – thanks to tireless fundraising by 1st Bramhall Scout Group, as part of the national Scout Community Week. They teamed up with the North West Ambulance Service to raise the funds to buy defibrillators AND provide training. The life-saving equipment is available to the whole community.
As well as the two units in the village, Hillbrook Grange, on Ack Lane East, has Defibrillator for emergencies having applied to the Ambulance Service’s Community Defibrillator Scheme. These machines available to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Hursthead Junior School now also has a defibrillator, thanks to Margaret Robertson, who, while serving as Lady Captain at Bramhall Park Golf Club, spearheaded the fundraising to provide the school, as well as Bramhall Scout hut, with a defibrillator each. Head teacher Mrs Losse welcomed Mrs Robertson, and Sarah Harris from Northwest Ambulance Service, to talk to the children about the AED defibrillator commenting: “We would like to thank Mrs Robertson for her generous fundraising and Sarah Harris for training staff in using the AED. We hope that having this important life saving device will prove to be invaluable to both the school and the local community.”
Are there other AED defibrillators available to the public in or around Bramhall? Are you involved in raising funds to provide one? Please let us know. Also, remember to let the ambulance service know the location and register on http://www.heartsafe.org.uk/AED-Locations . Hopefully these will be the first of many available to our village, meaning that as well as Britain’s friendliest village, we can also be one of the safest.
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