Life-saving Defibrillator for Belmont
Village
Members should be aware that we have been working for some
time on our Neighbourhood Plan for our area. This plan includes local
additions to Planning Policies, but, resulting from the many workshops that we
ran with local residents, a number of projects emerged that there was agreement
would be good for the area. One of the projects identified is the provision of readily
accessible defibrillators.
What is a defibrillator?
A defibrillator is a device that gives a high energy shock to
the heart of someone who is in cardiac arrest. Defibrillators can save
lives. When someone's heart stops beating, oxygen
is no longer being transported to their brain and other vital organs.
Without any intervention, brain damage will start to occur within four to
five minutes. More than 30,000 people suffer from cardiac arrests
outside of hospital annually and less than 1 in 10 survive. If a
defibrillator is used within one minute, survival rates can be as high as 90%.
Where is a defibrillator needed?
The
area identified by members as urgently needing a defibrillator was Belmont Village. There are several
defibrillators in and around Belmont and South Cheam,
but most of these are in private premises (e.g. schools) and are not accessible
24/7. Your Association's Committee has modest funds available from
members' subscriptions and
because we agreed that this was a pressing need, your Committee decided the
Association would purchase a defibrillator which would be available 24/7.
We enrolled on a Government scheme that has enabled us to buy our own
defibrillator at a reduced price.
We
researched several locations and we would like to thank Michelle inThe Good Home (and her
landlord) for agreeing to its installation in the alleyway to the side of her
shop. We would also like to thank Glen Watkins, MD of local electricians
WatkinsCole, for undertaking the installation of the device at no charge.
The defibrillator has been ready for use since March 2024. So this has been a real community
venture. The Association will continue to insure and maintain the unit
and replace pads etc if it is used.
How do I access the defibrillator?
Sadly
defibrillators have a habit of disappearing. You may have noticed that
the one at Belmont Station has been "taken" (we are trying to get
this replaced). The one installed in the telephone box in Cheam Village
was also taken (This
has been replaced with another unit now installed in The Chatsworth Studio but
it is only available when the Studio is open). As a consequence we
decided to install ours in a cabinet secured by a combination lock.
Should
you need to use the unit, you can get the combination to open the box by:
a)
asking one of the adjacent shopkeepers who have the combination code, or
b)
dialling 999 and give the location of the unit. The 999 operator can give
you the code to open the box and assist you in the use of the unit. You
should identify the location of the unit by quoting its address (Passageway beside 37 Station Road, Belmont).
Alternatively quote the What3Words for the location of the unit which
are ///cure.sobs.factor.
FYI What3words is a proprietary geocode system
designed to identify any location on the surface of Earth with a resolution of
about 3 metres. They are used by the Ambulance Service to identify
locations.
What other defibrillators are there in the area?
Most
defibrillators in the UK
are registered with a national database called "The Circuit". This
database is used by the emergency services to locate these devices. You
can see the location of all defibrillators registered with The Circuit using
the website:
We suggest that you
bookmark this website for future use as it works anywhere in the UK.
The DefibFinder website
is funded and managed by the British Heart Foundation. The information on
this website is taken from The Circuit, the National defibrillator Network,
which is also funded and managed by the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
If you have, or know of, a defibrillator that is not showing on the defibfinder map, can you please get it registered ASAP with The Circuit (www.thecircuit.uk).
However, if you are with someone who is having a cardiac arrest, then you should dial 999 immediately and give them your location. The Ambulance Service will be able tell you where the nearest defibrillator is to your current location.
Furthermore, if you are
on your own, don't stop performing CPR to go and get a defibrillator. If
at all possible, send someone else to find one. When you call 999, the
operator can tell you if there's a public access defibrillator nearby.
Do I need training to use a defibrillator?
The most important thing
if someone is unresponsive is to perform CPR. You can find CPR training
videos produced by the British Heart Foundation here:
www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/how-to-do-cpr
You do not need training to
use a defibrillator. Although they can vary in design, they all function
in broadly the same way. Once you turn the defibrillator on, it will tell
you what to do. The device gives clear, spoken instructions and will not
deliver a shock unless it is needed.
If you
would like to have a look at how to use a device, have a look at either (or
both) of the following videos:
https://vimeo.com/557677120/e7524918c5
www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/defibrillators/understanding-defibrillators-what-they-are-and-how-to-use-them