Chadlington held its first defibrillator awareness training on Saturday 12 July 2014. The event was organised by Chadlington Parish Council and run by South Central Ambulance Service’s (SCAS) David England to help local residents gain an insight in when and how we might need to use Chadlington’s first public usage defibrillator (located in Abbeyfield The Old Bakehouse’s porch).
11 people attended the training and all found it very interesting, useful and at times entertaining! It was a great opportunity to ask questions that people have had about using the equipment and be reassured that the machine is so clever, you really can’t do any harm to anyone as it won’t let you!
I am sure that all those who attended will feel more confident in what to do should they ever be nearby when someone goes into cardiac arrest.. It would also like to encourage as many residents as possible to consider attending an awareness training session to help overcome any worries they might have about using the defibrillator. If you would be interested in attending a future defibrillator awareness session, please contact the Parish Clerk using the contact form at the bottom of this page.
In addition to being able to see how a defibrillator works and learning basic CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation: the re-establishing of heart and lung action), David also said that a person in cardiac arrest really needs to be defibrillated within 10 minutes. Hook Norton apparently has 3 defibrillators. A GP informally suggested to several Councillors that a village as spread out as Chadlington – with its 5 Ends – should probably have 4-5 public usage defibrillators, in an ideal world.
South Central Ambulance Service seeks volunteers to become Community Responders.
David England said that anyone who volunteers to be a community responder is given a defibrillator pack. Chadlington doesn’t currently have a community responder although Chipping Norton does. SCAS is seeking more volunteers from rural areas to become community responders to help save lives in villages like Chadlington.
So if you are interested in volunteering & helping Chadlington get another public usage defibrillator, below is some information from SCAS website about what is involved.
Community First Responders
What is a Community First Responder?
The Resuscitation Council UK defines a ‘Community Responder as follows:
“A person trained as a minimum in basic life support and the use of a defibrillator, who attends a potentially life-threatening emergency. This response may be by the statutory ambulance service or complementary to it.”
What does a Community First Responder do?
Community First Responders( CFRs) use life-saving skills, such as the use of the automated external defibrillator (AED), to provide early and often vital intervention for patients suffering life-threatening emergencies in the immediate vicinity of where they live or work.
Once an ambulance crew arrives at the scene, CFRs work alongside a clinically qualified practitioner.
How do they know what to do?
Community First Responders are trained by us to provide life-saving treatment at a recognised level and they are always backed up with the nearest available ambulance. Every six months, there is a compulsory training to refresh skills. There is also an opportunity for CFRs to have montly refresher training on skills or treatment .
Types of calls a Community First Responder might attend:
- Cardiac arrest
- Heart attack
- Strokes
- Choking
- Diabetic emergencies
- Traumatic emergencies (not road traffic collisions)
- Breathing difficulties
- Patients suffering from seizures
- Chest Pains
- Unconscious patients
- Paediatric and children aged one year and over.
Why are CFRs so valuable and vital?
In case of cardiac arrest, for every minute that passes without cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation, a patient’s chances of survival decreases by 14%.
Community First Responders answer calls in their neighbourhood, therefore, the potential for them to arrive on scene before an ambulance, especially in rural areas, is vital in providing immediate life-saving treatment. These extra minutes do help to save lives.
Interested in becoming a CFR?
Then telephone 0800 587 0207 or email cfr@scas.nhs.uk now!
Want to support the CFRs?
You can give as much or little time to help the CFR, such as fundraising events or by donating. For more information about how to donate, please click here.
