DEFIBRILLATOR INSTALLED AT WESTERN FIRE AND RESCUE STATION
A community public access defibrillator (cPAD) was recently located at Western Fire and Rescue Station in New Parks. This is the first one in New Parks and one of the few cPADs in Leicester City.
The defibrillator was purchased for the local area by Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, working in partnership with Leicestershire Search and Rescue and Eurovia. The lifesaving piece of equipment can be activated in an emergency to provide defibrillation to someone in cardiac arrest – this is the only way to re-establish the heart’s natural rhythm.
Cardiac arrests are unpredictable and can strike without warning, killing 250 people a day in the UK and an average of seven million people each year worldwide. Quick actions by members of the public performing early Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) with defibrillation (before the arrival of the ambulance service) can save lives.
Should an incident occur in the local area where the defibrillator is located, members of the public can access this facility. It is activated when a member of the public calls 999. The call handler will give advice on CPR and establish if the person is breathing. If needed, they will then let the person know where the defibrillator is and how to access it.
Andrew Brodie, Assistant Chief Fire and Rescue Office at Leicestershire Search and Rescue Service, said: “It’s great for the local area that it now has its very own public access defibrillator.”
“Lives can really be saved using this piece of equipment before the arrival of an ambulance. Having this defibrillator in place will increase a person’s chances of survival if a member of the public was to have a cardiac arrest in the area.”
“We are pleased to be able to work with both Eurovia and Leicestershire Search and Rescue Community First Responders to host and maintain the defibrillator, and help educate the local community about basic life support.”
Joanne Plews, from Eurovia Infrastructures Ltd, said: “Eurovia place corporate responsibility, respecting the community and securing everyone’s safety amongst their top priorities during any construction scheme.”
“It was especially important to the Eurovia Contracting North Team here at Leicester, that a legacy was left to show our thanks for all the amazing community support that we were all fortunate to receive whilst on site in the New Parks area. It was a great pleasure to learn that we were able to help in this way. Hopefully lives can be saved by the defibrillator.”
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Notes to editors
Officers may be available for media work through prior arrangement. Photos from the launch of the defibrillator are available (some have been attached with captions). If you require anymore, please contact Corporate Communications.
About the Service
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service provides emergency response, prevention and protection services from 20 stations across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Its headquarters is based in Birstall, Leicester.
The Service’s prevention, education, enforcement and inspection programmes have resulted in significant reductions in the number of incidents. In the last five years, fire related incidents have reduced by 32.6 percent.
During 2014/15, the Service attended 619 road traffic collisions, of which 155 were extrications freeing 194 people trapped inside their vehicles and completed 4316 home fire safety checks, fitting almost 4339 smoke alarms. Staff organised or supported almost 1590 events aimed at promoting fire and road safety and arson prevention, whilst also visiting 314 schools to deliver fire and road safety education to pupils.
Contact:
Dominic Halliday
Communications and Digital Media Administrator
0116 2292178
dominic.halliday@lfrs.org
