A defibrillator is now installed......

A Zoll AED Plus defibrillator has now been installed by the side Hawkedon Village Hall facing the Queen's Head carpark.  In an emergency you can access it simply by opening the cabinet door and taking out the portable device.  A loud alarm will sound to both deter inappropriate access and to alert others in the case of emergency.

For familiarisation with the defibrillator click HERE which will take you to a YouTube video.  It is worth taking 5 minutes and 16 seconds or so to do this - should you need to use the defibrillator you will be pleased you did.  If you cannot spare that much time, just watch the first 2 minutes and 35 seconds - the second half is mainly just telling you how good a Zoll defibrillator is.

In the meantime, read this which has been lifted from the British Heart Foundation website:

How to use a defibrillator

Defibrillators are very easy to use. Although they don’t all look the same, they all function in broadly the same way.

You don't need training to use one. The machine gives clear spoken instructions – all you have to do is follow them - and it won’t shock someone unless they need it.

If you come across someone who is unconscious, unresponsive, not breathing or not breathing normally, they’re in cardiac arrest. The most important thing is to call 999 and start CPR to keep the blood flowing to the brain and around the body. After a cardiac arrest, every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces someone's chance of survival by 10 per cent.

If you're on your own, don't interrupt the CPR to go and get a defibrillator. If it's possible, send someone else to find one. When you call 999, the operator can tell you if there's a public access defibrillator nearby.

To use a defibrillator, follow these simple steps:

• Step 1: Turn the defibrillator on by pressing the green button and follow its instructions.
• Step 2: Peel off the sticky pads and attach them to the patient’s skin, one on each side of the chest, as shown in the picture on the defibrillator.
• Step 3: Once the pads have been attached, stop CPR and don’t touch the patient. The defibrillator will then analyse the patient’s heart rhythm.
• Step 4: The defibrillator will assess whether a shock is needed and if so, it will tell you to press the shock button. An automatic defibrillator will shock the patient without prompt. Do not touch the patient while they are being shocked.
• Step 5: The defibrillator will tell you when the shock has been delivered and whether you need to continue CPR.
• Step 6: Continue with chest compressions and rescue breaths until the patient shows signs of life or the defibrillator tells you to stop so it can analyse the heartbeat again.