From left to right: Ray Browne, Mark Chatwin & Ross Davies
Installation of a new Defibrillator in Market Lavington
A new defibrillator has been installed on the front wall of the Old Brickworks building in Broadway, Market Lavington. The three businesses that occupy the site – ATAC, Thermal Designs, & AMC XL – jointly agreed that a defibrillator should be installed and that its location on the front wall would ensure that it could become a community facility.
Ray Browne, Managing Director of Analytical Technology and Control Ltd (ATAC), was inspired to install the defibrillator following a cardiac procedure carried out on a fellow company director. Additionally, Ray’s wife is a paramedic who is all too aware of the need for vital medical infrastructure in isolated areas of the county.
“In this area of Wiltshire, we are some distance away from the nearest emergency services. The installation of a defibrillator makes sense, not just for those that work on the site, but also for those who live in the vicinity. We are very much part of the local community. Many of our staff live nearby. We hope that the defibrillator can become a literal lifesaver to those who live in our community.”
Accessing the Defibrillator
As with most defibrillators, access is achieved using an access code that is supplied by calling 999. The AED or automated external defibrillator comes with simple instructions and is fully automatic. It will operate itself when required once the electrodes are attached to the patient’s chest.
According to the British Heart Foundation, less than 10% of patients survive out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. The use of a defibrillator can increase survival rates to 90%, if it is used within the first minute, with that figure falling by 10% with every minute that passes. Access to a defibrillator can contribute significantly to public health in rural areas.
For those interested in acquiring a defibrillator for their community, an application can be made online via the British Heart Foundation website, by searching for ‘BHF defibrillator’.
