Call to register defibrillator locations in South Derbyshire
A cyclist who was resuscitated by a public access defibrillator is looking to put some life into a major campaign to highlight the locations of the devices.
Alan Thompson suffered a cardiac arrest whilst riding his bike in Smisby. Luckily, a group of people Alan had never met rushed to his aid, successfully resuscitating him by performing CPR and using the defibrillator located on the wall of the village hall on Main Street, in this case a mere 200 yards from the scene of Alan's collapse.
The 61-year-old said:
“I had actually stopped breathing and had died for a moment. I’m so grateful to the passers-by of Smisby who saved my life. It’s thanks to them, their quick thinking and the easy access to the closest defibrillator that I could carry on being a husband, dad and grandad.”
The recovered Midway resident, who is retired after working at Molson Coors for 42 years, is now backing calls from South Derbyshire District Council for defibrillator owners to register the locations of the life-saving devices.
Cllr Martyn Ford, Leader of the Council, said:
“As Alan’s story shows, knowing where the nearest publicly accessible defibrillator is located can be the difference between life and death.
“We would urge all businesses, organisations and community groups to help build up an accurate register of where these life-saving machines are fitted in South Derbyshire.
“Through a network of defibrillators, those having a cardiac arrest, bystanders and ambulance services will all be better connected.”
Defibrillator owners should inform East Midlands Ambulance Service where their nearest defibrillator is located. This will help 999 call handlers to direct bystanders to the defibrillator in the case of an emergency.
Locations can be reported at East Midlands Ambulance Service. These will then be added to the British Heart Foundation National Defibrillator Network (NDN) list, which is currently under development and due to be launched in 2019.
21 August 2018