Up in the North East of England, Whickham Rotary Club have been busy making sure that everyone in the local community has access to an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
The club had previously spent 6 years installing the defibrillators in local schools but realised that there was a lack of access to the life-saving equipment outside of school/business hours.
Statistics provided by the British Heart Foundation show that only 3% of cardiac arrests happen within the recommended retrieval distance of a defibrillator and that for every minute it takes for the defibrillator to reach someone and deliver a shock, their chances of survival reduce by up to 10%.
We are dedicated to this life-saving project and committed to further fund-raising to help keep our communities safe.”
Therefore, Whickham Rotary worked with various local organisations and individuals to acquire 5 internal units and 8 external units to be placed around Whickham.
The external AED’s are all registered on the circuit, allowing the emergency services to gain access or provide the access code to the cabinet in cases of emergencies involving possible cardiac arrests.
David Auton, a member of Whickham Rotary, said: “Rotary is working hard to improve the availability of defibrillators across Whickham and the surrounding villages; it is great to see the club making such a difference in our community.”
Fellow Whickham Rotarian Ronnie Hart said: “We are dedicated to this life-saving project and committed to further fund-raising to help keep our communities safe.”
