YELVERTOFT’S COMMUNITY DEFIBRILLATOR
The Village now has a COMMUNITY DEFIBRILLATOR, and is supported in its maintenance and use by our membership of the Community Heartbeat Trust (CHT). It is situated on the outside wall of The Knightley Arms pub, alongside the seating area by the front door. It is very visible, and readily accessible from the High Street. We also have in place a Village Emergency Telephone System (VETS) a contact-tree of village Volunteers, which the Ambulance Service knows about and can activate.
The system works like this :
- Anyone seeing someone collapsed or collapsing should call 999 – the Ambulance Service.
- The Ambulance Control operator will assess the situation and if they think it appropriate, to use the Defibrillator, they will tell the Caller to get it from its place at The Knightley. There are clear instructions there on how the get the device from its storage unit.
- If the Caller is on their own with the Victim, the Operator will activate the VETS to get one of the village Volunteers to collect the Defibrillator and bring it to where the Victim and Caller are.
- The Volunteer or the Caller can then use the Defibrillator to sustain the Victim’s heart-beat until the Paramedics arrive to take over.
- Should none of the VETS volunteers be contactable, the Operator will give advice over the phone on how to do chest compressions until help arrives.
Fuller instructions sheets, provided by CHT, are to be found at All Saints Church, the Parish Council notice board (opposite Squisito), and in the Village Hall. These give sound and clear advice about the Defibrillator and what to do when finding someone collapsed or collapsing. You may find it helpful to read one of these instruction sheets when you can– just in case !!!!
For more information about the Defibrillator, the VETS or CHT please contact Barbara Barber on 01788 822925.