Sedlescombe’s defibrillator is located in a yellow box on the side wall of the Queens Head pub.

Sedlescombe gains life-saving defibrillator

1066 Country Community First Responders (CFR) today unveiled a brand new public access defibrillator in Sedlescombe village. Thanks to donations from the British Heart Foundation, the device has found a home mounted on the external wall of the Queens Head public house. 1066 Country CFR explain how this emergency equipment can save lives.

A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone – young or old, at any time – and the use of a defibrillator and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) within the first few minutes, while professional help is on the way, can improve the chances of the patient surviving considerably.

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are small machines which ‘shock’ a person’s heart into restarting. No training is needed to use them – they provide vocal instructions on how to operate them. And they will only deliver a shock if they don’t detect a heartbeat, ensuring that they are not used unnecessarily or in the wrong situations.

If someone collapses and isn’t breathing, anyone calling 999 will be told where the nearest defibrillator machine is located so that vital treatment can begin straight away.

The machine gives vocal instructions on how to use it.

Immediate treatment for cardiac arrest

“For every minute a person in cardiac arrest doesn’t receive CPR and defibrillation their chances of survival drop by 10%,” said team leader Adam Streather.

“This life-saving equipment will ensure that residents and visitors to the town can receive immediate treatment in the event of a cardiac arrest. If bystanders provide CPR and use a defibrillator before Emergency Medical Services arrive, average survival rates increase to over 40%.”

1066 Country CFR work in partnership with South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAMB). They are volunteer members of their community who are trained to respond to emergency calls in conjunction with SECAMB.

Local response

As they respond in the local areas where they live and work, they are able to attend the scene of an emergency within a few minutes, and often before the emergency service arrives. They are able to offer life-saving first aid, further increasing the patient’s chances of survival.

They also install and maintain public access defibrillators across the area. 1066 Country CFR receives no funding from the ambulance service and purchases all its equipment, including defibrillators, through public donations.

1066 Country CFR would like to thank James and the team at the Queens Head for agreeing to be the home to this life-saving device. And thank you to Vince from JS Fire Protection for installing it for nothing.

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