JULY 2010
Churchill Community Foundation School (including its Sixth Form Centre) has become the latest school in the UK to become HeartSafe®. The school is in the village of Churchill in North Somerset and lies 8 miles east of Weston-super-Mare. The Public Access Defibrillator within a weatherproof secure heated HeartSafe® cabinet has been installed on the wall at the main entrance to the school. The defibrillator is accessible 24/7 - even outside of school hours and during the school holidays.
Photo showing the defibrillator and cabinet being handed over to Dr Barry Wratton (Head Teacher) and Paul Lund (Chair of Governors) by Clive Setter (owner of AED Locator (E.U.) Ltd
JULY 2010
Click here to read the exciting news that Zoll Medical Corporation (based in Chelmsford, Essex) has been announced as the sole supplier of defibrillators for the British Heart Foundation in the UK for the next three years.
AED Locator (E.U.) Ltd are proud to be a distributor for the defibrillators manufactured by Zoll. Click here to see a video of how easy it is to use this life-saving equipment.
JUNE 2010
L'Escala has become the first town in Spain to have a Public Access Defibrillator located in a HeartSafe® cabinet. This means that anyone living or visiting L'Escala will have the peace of mind that a defibrillator is immediately available should anyone suffer a Sudden Cardiac Arrest. The HeartSafe® cabinet and defibrillator have been donated to the spanish town by AED Locator (E.U.) Ltd.
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Photo showing the cabinet and defibrillator being handed over to Nuria Marti Rivas (from the Town Council) and Pau Fajol and Guillermo Segura (Red Cross Life Guards at the L'Escala beaches) by Clive Setter (owner of AED Locator (E.U.) Ltd)
L'Escala is in the Catalonia region of Spain, not far from the border with France and situated on the Costa Brava coast at the southern end of the Gulf of Roses. As well as being an important fishing port, it is a popular tourist resort with about 60,000 people a week using the local unspoilt beaches during the Summer months.
"My family and friends have enjoyed many holidays in L'Escala over the last seven years" says Clive Setter, the owner of AED Locator (E.U.) Ltd. "I decided to donate a HeartSafe® cabinet and defibrillator to the town so that the local people and many visitors from across Europe can benefit from having immediate access to this life-saving equipment."
The HeartSafe® cabinet and defibrillator will be located soon next to the Tourist Board Office and opposite Luna Park - as shown below in the aerial photgraph of L'Escala.
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JUNE 2010
The Gate Inn in Upper Brailes and The George Hotel in Lower Brailes are the latest locations to become HeartSafe® within the region served by the UK's West Midlands Ambulance Service.
Funded by donations co-ordinated by the Brailes Parish Council, there is now a Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) in a weatherproof secure HeartSafe® cabinet located outside both The Gate Inn and The George Hotel in these two neighbouring villages at the southern tip of the county of Warwickshire. To coincide with the installation of the two PADs, the West Midlands Ambulance Service provided awareness and demonstration sessions to about 60 people living in/near Brailes who were interested in learning more about this important life-saving equipment.
If you would like more information about making your village or community HeartSafe®, then please call us for a chat on 01275 332323.
Photo showing the Public Access Defibrillator at The Gate Inn in Upper Brailes
Photo showing the Public Access Defibrillator outside The George Hotel (Lower Brailes) with David Wiggins (Landlord) and Chris Righton (Parish Councillor)
JUNE 2010
The village of Whitchurch has become the site of the 22nd HeartSafe® location in the North Somerset region of England.
Whitchurch is about 4 miles to the south-east of the City of Bristol and spans either side of the A37, otherwise known as the Wells Road. The Public Access Defibrillator is located within the universal green weatherproof secure cabinet outside the Maes Knoll Toby Carvery Public House, on the junction of the A37 with Staunton Lane. For Sat Nav users, the post code is BS14 0PF.
The cabinet and defibrillator have been funded as a result of events and donations co-ordinated by the Whitchurch Parish Council.
Picture showing the Public Access Defibrillator outside the Maes Knoll Toby Carvery in Whitchurch near Bristol
JUNE 2010
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Help is at hand on the roof of Wales for walkers who may find themselves faced with a life threatening scenario. The Welsh Ambulance Service has joined together with Snowdon Mountain Railway, Arrhythmia Alliance and AED Locator to place a brand new Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) in Hafod Eryri on the summit of Snowdon.
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For further information on the launch of the PAD on Mount Snowdon, please click on the following links:
May 2010
Another UK Golf Club has become HeartSafe®! This time it's Enmore Park Golf Club, near Bridgewater in Devon, that has had a Public Access Defibrillator installed within a weatherproof secure heated HeartSafe® cabinet outside the Clubhouse. The cabinet has been sponsored by two of the Golf Club members and South Western Ambulance Service has donated the defibrillator within the cabinet. Although the defibrillator can be operated in an emergency by any untrained adult, the South Western Ambulance Service provided awareness sessions to the staff and some of the members of the Golf Club.
Photos showing the Public Access Defibrillator, cabinet and overhead signs at Enmore Park Golf Club
MAY 2010
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Photo showing the Public Access Defibrillator and cabinet being launched by Clive Reynolds (Seniors' Captain at Chipping Sodbury Golf Club), Jim Elsworth (Chairman of Chipping Sodbury Town Lands Charity) and Barry Riley (President of Chipping Sodbury Rotary Club)
A Public Access Defibrillator has been installed at Chipping Sodbury Golf Club in Gloucestershire. The weatherproof secure HeartSafe® cabinet and defibrillator was purchased as a result of fundraising by the Golf Club's Seniors' Section with donations from Chipping Sodbury Town Lands Charity and Chipping Sodbury Rotary Club. Although it is hoped that the equipment will never be needed, it is there and ready to be used in the event of an emergency by golfers, walkers, staff and anyone in the vicinity of Chipping Sodbury Golf Club.
If you are a member of a Golf Club or any other type of Sports Club and would like more information or advice about how to make yours a HeartSafe® Club, then please call us on 01275 332323.
APRIL 2010
The Pomme D'Or Hotel in St Helier - the location of one of Jersey's public access defibrillators
Since 2001, St John Ambulance in Jersey has worked with local businesses and communities to install life-saving equipment across the island. As a result there are now 88 public access defibrillators on the island of Jersey in banks, shops, colleges and other public places such as hotels, Jersey Harbour, Elizabeth Castle – to name but a few. The St John Ambulance team in Jersey has trained hundreds of local people in how and when to use a defibrillator and there have been several occasions when the devices have been used to save a life.
MARCH 2010
This article was published in the Midhurst and Petworth Observer on 11th March 2010.
The public access defibrillator in Graffham (near Petworth), attached to the side wall of Empire Hall in a bright green cabinet with keypad access, is the first in a pioneering scheme which sees collaboration between South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAMB) and local communities in West Sussex.
The Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is an essential first step in treating a victim of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and, in a remote community such as Graffham where an ambulance may not arrive for 15 to 20 minutes, access to such a device by a member of the public may save a life. In towns and larger villages in Sussex, AEDs may be operated by fully trained Community First Responders. The difference in Graffham is that, following a 999 call to the Emergency Services, an untrained friend or passer-by may be invited to fetch the device and use it on the patient while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
It was recognised for this system to work in an isolated location, the devices would need to be highly visible yet secure, hence the specially-manufactured bright green cabinets with automatic overhead lighting. The cabinets can be opened by entering a unique key-code which is given to the caller by the Emergency Services. Once the cabinet is open, the AED is simple to use providing concise recorded instructions to the operator, as it monitors the patient. Providing the patient is near the telephone, the user will continue to receive backup from the Emergency Services as they operate the AED.
Residents of Graffham have attended information sessions at the Empire Hall organised by Garry Perkins (Responder Operations Manager for SECAMB) in conjunction with Graffham co-ordinators Alison Davidson and Roger Coakes. While Mrs Davidson explained how to open the cabinet in an emergency, Mr Perkins demonstrated the principles of using the defibrillator on Mini-Anne (the dummy) and answered questions from members of the public.
SECAMB hopes many villages in West Sussex will follow Graffham's lead in installing public access AEDs. Mr Perkins stressed that projects must be both organised and financed by local communities themselves.
In Graffham the project was initiated and underwritten by the District Nursing Association. Grants were provided by the Graffham and East Lavington parish councils, the Guillod Trust and the North Chicester County Local Committee Community Initiative Funding Scheme. Also a substantial amount of the funding came from Graffham-based organisations, clubs and societies, as well as generous residents.
Representatives of other communities who would like to organise a similar scheme should contact us and we will provide advice and guidance as well as putting you in contact with the appropriate person within your local Ambulance Service.
MARCH 2010
The Wells Road Osteopaths in Knowle (Bristol) has become the first Osteopathic and Complementary Therapy Centre in the UK to have a Public Access Defibrillator located outside its premises.
The defibrillator in its green secure weatherproof HeartSafe® cabinet has been provided by Lisa Kennard and David Richardson, owners of the Wells Road Clinic. This life saving equipment is available 24/7 and, as well as being accessible by the clinic's patients and staff, is available for anyone to use as directed by Great Western Ambulance Service following a 999 Emergency Call in the vicinity of Wells Road in Knowle.
This means that there are now 20 Public Access Defibrillators in and around Bristol, making it one of the most HeartSafe® areas in the country in which to live.
If you would like more information on Public Access Defibrillators, then please contact us.
FEBRUARY 2010
Midlands Town Leads the Way in Installing Life-Saving Public Defibrillators
Event Dates: 23rd & 25th February 2010
When someone suddenly collapses from Sudden Cardiac Arrest in the street or at a public event, time and knowledge are crucial factors around whether they survive. All too often, they die before an ambulance can reach them. Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) kills more people a year than breast cancer, lung cancer and AIDS combined, but a Midlands charity, Arrhythmia Alliance, is aiming to cut the risk of death from SCA by introducing life-saving emergency equipment in public places across the country – with the Warwickshire town of Shipston-on-Stour being one of the first.
Recently installed defibrillator cabinet outside The George Hotel (Shipston-on-Stour)
SCA is the abrupt loss of the heart rhythm caused by an electrical problem with the heart. The only treatment for a patient in cardiac arrest is the use of CPR with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) which delivers an electric shock to restore the heart to a normal rhythm. In the event of a SCA, the first seven to eight minutes are critical, with early defibrillation increasing a person’s chances of survival from 5% to 50%. It is estimated that 12% of these incidents happen in public places. The idea of community AEDs is to enhance emergency services and first responder schemes.
Working with the Ambulance Service, Arrhythmia Alliance is helping to place AEDs across the country, in external weatherproof cabinets, keypad locked for security and easily identifiable by their prominent (emergency green) colour. If a Sudden Cardiac Arrest is suspected, a 999 caller is directed to their nearest cabinet and given the access code to retrieve the AED. The operator is then able to talk the caller through using the device while an ambulance is on the way.
In the Midlands, four cabinets have been located in Shipston-on-Stour and a second in Stratford-upon-Avon. All have been funded by the local community and local businesses. A further cabinet has also been located in the village of Newbold-on-Stour in loving memory of Mr Charles Lobban, who passed away in 2008 from sudden cardiac death.
Recently installed defibrillator cabinet outside the Village Shop (Newbold-on-Stour)
Arrhythmia Alliance and the West Midlands Ambulance Service are offering awareness and demonstration sessions to anyone who is interested in learning how to use the devices. The sessions are free and open to all with the first session on Tuesday 23rd February between 6.30pm and 8.30pm at Shipston Sports Club and a second at the Newbold Village Hall on Thursday 25th February between 6:30pm and 8:30pm.
The Shipston launch will be the first GP practice in the UK to locate an AED outside of premises for public use.
Arrhythmia Alliance Trustee, Trudie Lobban, said, “This is a fantastic initiative that will save lives. AEDs can literally mean the difference between life and death when someone has suffered a Sudden Cardiac Arrest. I believe these should be located in all towns, especially at public and sporting venues and remote areas where it may take paramedics longer to get there.”
“This is such an important project for us and one that will make a huge impact. We are working with ambulance and paramedic services across the country to implement as many AEDs as possible. If your loved one experienced a Sudden Cardiac Arrest, you would want to have an AED as close by as possible to improve their chance of survival”.
The charity can facilitate the placement of AEDs across the country but the devices need to be paid for by local groups or organisations. Arrhythmia Alliance will offer support and resources that can help get a project off the ground in local areas.
Recently installed defibrillator cabinet outside the Shipston Sports Club (Shipston-on-Stour)
For more information, please contact Ben Fry at ben@heartrhythmcharity.org.uk or call 01789 451830.
This article has been supplied by the Arrhythmia Alliance Charity.
NOVEMBER 2009
Farrington Golf & Country Club in Farrington Gurney, Somerset has become the first Golf Club in the UK to have a Public Access Defibrillator. This means that anyone visiting Farrington Golf & Country Club, whether it be to play golf, use the Health & Fitness Centre or visit the Clubhouse for a drink, meal or any other social event, at any time of the day or evening, will have the peace of mind that a defibrillator is immediately available should anyone suffer a Sudden Cardiac Arrest.
The scheme is part of the growing number of HeartSafe® cabinets that are being located in public places and communities, and is supported by the Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust. The HeartSine Samaritan Defibrillator is the right choice as it is lighter and smaller than many other makes and carries an IP56 rating (the industry's highest rating against dust and water) making it most suitable for use at a Golf Club.
The defibrillator and HeartSafe® cabinet were funded by the members and staff of Farrington Golf & Country Club, who recognised the importance of this simple life-saving device and the benefits it would bring to those who use the Club's facilities.
If you are a member of a Golf Club or any other type of Sports Club anywhere in the UK and would like more information, then please contact us.
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Photo showing the defibrillator and cabinet being handed over to Paul Harwood (owner of Farrington Golf & Country Club) and Jon Cowgill (Farrington's Director of Golf) by Clive Setter (owner of AED Locator (E.U.) Ltd)
NOVEMBER 2009
The village of Llanrhaeadr YM Mochnant (near Oswestry in Powys) has become the second location in Wales to have a Public Access Defibrillator - in fact, not just one but TWO Public Access Defibrillators! One is installed in the Market Square whilst the other is outside the Recreation Pavilion. Congratulations to the village community who, with the support of the Welsh Ambulance Service, raised enough funds to buy this life-saving equipment. The images below show the cabinets being delivered to the Market Square and the Recreation Pavilion.
NOVEMBER 2009
Henley-on-Thames now has HeartSafe® Villages
Click here to read about the next four villages in UK to install Public Access Defibrillators
NOVEMBER 2009
The first Heartsafe® cabinet containing a life-saving defibrillator has been installed in a rural village in Wales. It is sited outside the Village Hall in Abergynolwyn - a small village lying near Snowdonia to the north of Cardigan Bay and the town of Aberystwyth. The Village Hall stands in the centre of the village and is the focal point of the community, making it the perfect location for this life-saving equipment.
Congratulations to the villagers of Abergynolwyn who, with the support of the Welsh Ambulance Service, were the first in Wales to raise funds for a Public Access Defibrillator.
