The Combwich Defibrillator Group and the Parish Council are pleased to announce that the defibrillator, donated by Somerset County Council, has now been linked to the ambulance service and placed in the security cabinet adjacent to the telephone box on Brookside Road.

Our aim is to promote within the community a greater understanding of the actions to be taken when faced with the emergency of a person who has collapsed.  The provision of defibrillator is an important part of what could be a life-saving action, but the ability to perform resuscitation, the widely publicised CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation), quickly and effectively while waiting for an ambulance or a defibrillator will greatly increase the chances of a successful outcome.

The defibrillator is designed to be used by untrained persons and, once opened, gives a clear and concise commentary of the steps that need to be taken.

In an emergency with an unconscious casualty that has stopped breathing:

• START RESUSITATION IMMEDIATELY
• GET HELP TO RING 999, REQUEST AMBULANCE SERVICE
• STATE “COMBWICH DEFIBRILLATOR”
• ON THE KEY PAD ENTER THE 4 DIGIT CODE GIVEN BY OPERATOR FOLLOWED BY THE “TICK BUTTON”  TO UNLOCK THE CABINET

With the help of health professionals we will be encouraging people to attend training courses or at least familiarise themselves with resuscitation techniques; for example, the following link with a NHS website gives details, including a video starring Vinnie Jones, of the ”Hands-only” method of resuscitation that does not involve mouth-to-mouth rescue breaths (a technique that should only be performed by persons who have been trained): http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Accidents-and-first-aid/Pages/CPR.aspx.

If you have any enquiries, or if you are trained in first-aid and would like to become involved in promoting emergency first-aid within the community, please contact any parish councillor.