Public access defibrillators are there to be used for someone in cardiac arrest. After a cardiac arrest, every minute without CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and defibrillation reduces someone’s chance of survival by 10 per cent.
The Parish Council have two Public Access Defibrillators for the villages in the Parish. The one at the village shop was purchased through public donations, quiz night fundraising and a grant from the British Heart Foundation; and the one at the Ruscombe phone box was donated by Gloucestershire Masonic Trust in memory of Trevor Portlock, a local parishioner from Stroud.
Their locations are shown in the photographs below. Ruscombe telephone box on Ruscombe Road; Whiteshill and Ruscombe Village Shop
No formal training is necessary for using them. In the event of an emergency CALL 999, if you do not already know where the defibrillator is located, the ambulance service will direct you. The defibrillator itself is a fully mobile unit, which is kept inside a heated cabinet to ensure that it is kept in full working order. Remove the defibrillator from the cabinet. When the defibrillator is opened, full instructions are given, both spoken and with diagrams.
Do not worry, it will not allow you to hurt the patient, but you may save a life!
The defibrillators are checked weekly and the Parish Council have a annual subscription with Community Heartbeat Trust
The defibrillators are to checked weekly and the report sent to Community Heartbeat Trust. Councillor Iain Roberts checks the defibs weekly, with the Clerk covering if Iain is away. The Clerk logs the reports with CHT.
Both defibrillators are in unlocked cabinets.
Should there be any issues identified with either of the defibrillators it must be reported to the Clerk immediately.