Volunteers donate life-saving defibrillator to town centre

The device was funded by donations from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and has found a home mounted to the external wall of Harold Place toilets.

A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time and the use of a defibrillator and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) within the first few minutes, while professional help is on the way, can improve the chances of a patient surviving.

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are small machines which ‘shock’ a person’s heart into restarting. They are easy to use as they talk through the process and won’t deliver a shock unless it is required. There is no clinical training required to use them.

Adam Streather, team leader, said: “For every minute a person in cardiac arrest doesn’t receive CPR and defibrillation, their chances of survival drop by 10 per cent. This life saving equipment will ensure that residents and visitors to the town can receive immediate treatment in the event of a cardiac arrest.

“If bystanders provide CPR and use a defibrillator before emergency medical services arrive, average survival rates increase to over 40 per cent.”

1066 Country Community First Responders work in partnership with South East Coast Ambulance Service.

They are volunteer members of their community who are trained to respond to emergency calls in conjunction with SECAmb. 

As they respond in the areas where they live and work, they are able to attend the scene of an emergency within a few minutes, often before the emergency services arrive.

The group receives no funding and purchases all its equipment through public donations. 1066 Country CFR would like to thank Hastings Borough Council who offered the location and installed the cabinet for free.

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