Second Public Access Defibrillator in place at Gringley thanks to generous local donation

Another potentially life saving defibrillator is now in place at Gringley in the Hill, North Notts, located outside the front door of the Community Centre on West Wells Lane.

The device which can be used to shock the heart of a cardiac arrest victim was kindly purchased by a Gringley resident in memory of a family member. Along with the generous donation members of the Community Centre Committee and Five Villages First Responders have worked together to put the new Public Access Defibrillator in place. The yellow cabinet was installed by local electrician and Gringley resident David Foreman.

On Wednesday 15th March, 2017, an awareness session was held by members of East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) and Five Villages First Responders (FVFR) to show members of the community how to recognise a cardiac arrest, how to perform CPR (chest compressions and rescue breaths) and how to access and use a public defibrillator. Martyn Johnson of EMAS and FVFR said: "It was a great turn out, 27 members of the local community including residents of Gringley and Everton came along to the session. The aim was to give people confidence to quickly act if someone suffers a cardiac arrest. Prompt action can save lifes and increases the chance of survival if help is called quickly, CPR is performed and a defibrillator is used as soon as possible."

The unit outside the Community Centre is the second public access defibrillator in Gringley, the other is located outside of the The Blue Bell Inn on High Street. FVFR have been working with other local villages and groups to install the defibs at other locations including Misterton, Beckingham, Walkeringham, West Stockwith, Clayworth, Everton, Mattersey, Mattersey Thorpe and more.

When a sudden cardiac arrest occurs the patient will collapse, become unresponsive and stop breathing, often due to the heart going into a chaotic rhythm that requires correcting by a defibrillator. In the event that the Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) is required the ambulance control centre on receipt of a "999" call will instruct the caller of the location of the nearest PAD and give the access code to open the cabinet. The defibrillators are simple and safe to use, the lid is opened and then the machine has audio and visual prompts of how to use it. Pads are attached to the patients chest and the defibrillator assess the patients heart rhythm and only if a shock is required it will deliver one.

More information about all the Public Access Defibrillators within the local villages can be found on the FVFR website at www.fvfr.co.uk