Another milestone of progress going from no 24 hour Public Access Defibrillators to 22 now deployed in our area.
One of my four main aims four years ago was to encourage more local groups and individuals to take up and join in.
This last year has seen several take up this challenge.
Rotary Newton Aycliffe have been magnificent, as usual, and during the last year raised funds and assisted with several projects.
Karen Everson founded Chestnuts Residents Group and with help from Rotary President Gary Blenkinsop and Heighington Parish Council installed a new unit helping protecting her estate at School Aycliffe.
Director, John Findley, of ROF59, again with support from Rotary, used his existing indoor unit and deployed it outside his building.
He was narrowly beaten by Director Lee Willis of AEL Systems at Leaside to be the very first 24 hour public access unit on the Business Park – I am working on more firms to get others sited.
Rotary generously gifted a new defibrillator and outdoor cabinet to deploy where I considered was the next gap in coverage. I chose Woodham Golf Club as the surrounding area was not covered.
As you can see from the detailed map in this edition centre page spread, coverage now for access to potential life saving equipment is now quite extensive. Since starting this campaign five actual firings have taken place with four successful results.
A new nationwide system, ‘The Circuit’, run by the British Heart Foundation on behalf of all Ambulance services now enables you via an emergency telephone call to be directed to your nearest unit 24 hours a day. You will be given the code to open the box, grab the defibrillator and take it to the patient.
This system, because of our unique amount of coverage of units is working very well.
Should you call 999 and report any symptoms that they consider might be leading to a cardiac arrest they are deploying units ‘in readiness’.
A recent case for the Woodham Community Centre unit was a young asthmatic girl when she and her parents saw the defibrillator arrive at their home they were all visibly and physically relaxed.
Another major aim was to encourage CPR and defibrillator use awareness via demonstrations, even after delays for Covid restrictions we have now had 747 residents who have taken up this offer to learn potential life saving skills. As we are entering our ‘new normal’ these demonstrations have now restarted, please contact me if you are interested in learning more.
We still need more units and awareness courses, as sadly illustrated by recent events at the over 40s football club tragedy.
However, I have seen lots of positives from four years ago, awareness now is pushing forward more action.
We now have CPR and First Aid on the school curriculum, a Members Bill assisted by our MP Paul Howell is going through Parliament to make it law for all public buildings to have a defibrillator.
As usual, big thank you to the people and organisations of Aycliffe that are making this all happen.
David Sutton-Lloyd, ‘Defib Dave’.
Contact 01325 316144.