Four Island organisations are now working together to promote Public Access Defibrillators. The Isle of Man Ambulance Service, Rushen Emergency Ambulance, Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation and St John Ambulance have formed a steering group to ensure there is a standardised approach throughout the Island. The concept was originally introduced in the south by Rushen Emergency Ambulance but there is now so much interest that the four organisations have joined forces to spread the idea Island-wide.
Sudden cardiac arrest can affect anyone of any age, anytime and anywhere and it is vital that there is rapid access to an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). The scheme will see AEDs placed in easily identifiable green cabinets at various locations on the Island. If required, by dialling 999, the Control Room Operator at the Emergency Services Joint Control Room will release the code to open the cabinet and allow the user access to the defibrillator whilst dispatching an ambulance and a First Responder.
Chairman of Rushen Emergency Ambulance, Martin Benson, said:
“We are excited to be working with others to spread the availability of Public Access AEDs throughout the Isle of Man. The British Isles as a whole falls behind the rest of Europe in the provision of 24 hour access defibrillators although some remote areas, particularly in the south-west of England, have similar schemes running.
“Modern defibrillators are very intuitive and can, if necessary, be operated by someone with no training. In trials, it has been shown that they can be successfully used by an individual who had never seen a defibrillator before! Notwithstanding this, there is no substitute for prior training and we will be working very closely with our partners in St John Ambulance who provide AED courses to any members of the public who wish to prepare themselves to cope with such an emergency.”
David Scambler, Isle of Man Ambulance Service Public Access Defibrillator coordinator, said:
"As partners, the Isle of Man Ambulance Service fully supports the Public Access Defibrillators initiative. Research shows that early CPR and defibrillation at least doubles the chance of surviving a cardiac arrest. By providing lifesaving public access defibrillator cabinets at locations around the Island it will hopefully enable members of the public to defibrillate a person whilst a responding ambulance is on route. By reducing the time between someone collapsing and CPR and defibrillation taking place we hope to improve the chances of survival to those who suffer a cardiac arrest".
Paul Healey, Chairman of Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation, said:
“It’s great to have teamed up with some great professionals in order to get this 2016 project moving forward. As a charity we have put over 180 AED’s around the Island and have been looking for ways of utilising the machines we have already put out there to be more accessible to the public. This is something we have looked at for a while but didn’t have the knowledge or experience to get it moving, now we have that knowledge and experience as a team. It feels very appropriate to launch this 2016 scheme in Kirk Michael using the AED purchased through money raised by the Corlett family and friends after Chris Corlett’s life was saved by one of these machines.”
Phil Bennett, Commercial Training and Marketing Manager for St John Ambulance Isle of Man, said:
“No one should suffer from lack of first aid and no-one should lose their life as a result of the lack of simple to use aids such as AEDs. St John Ambulance will continue to provide training to all in the use of these devices, helping everyone to be the difference between a life lost and a life saved.”
The group aims to provide a standardised scheme and equipment across the Isle of Man so any individuals or organisations who are contemplating provision of a Public Access Defibrillator are urged to discuss their plans with the IOM Ambulance Service, Rushen Emergency Ambulance, Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation or St John Ambulance.
Work is now in hand to identify further suitable locations to position the AEDs.
Note: This is a joint news release from the Department of Health and Social Care, Rushen Emergency Ambulance, Craig's Heartstrong Foundation and St John Ambulance Isle of Man.
