Defibrillator Machine
Defibrillator outside West End Stores
Using a defibrillator may save a life, learn how to use it here!
There are three defibrillator machines in the village. One at Wye Leisure, one outside the Village Shop (West End Stores) and one near the door of the Pavilion.
This page focuses on the machine outside West End Stores because that's the one that can be used by any of us - even if they've had no training - to save a life.
The machine was installed in 2011 with money raised after the death of Suzanne Stinton Heeley, who died in February of that year. You can read the full story here.
So how do you use it?
If someone collapses and they are not breathing then you'd phone 999, as you normally would anyway, and the emergency services, who are aware of the presence of the defib machine would immediately tell you the code you need to open the box. You'll see what's inside the box on the right.
You lift out the unit, return to the patient and open the unit up. From then on the machine will tell you exactly what you should be doing - an automated voice talks you through the entire process. You will be instructed to apply pads to the patient and the machine will then analyse whether or not they need a shock and, if they do, administer that shock to put the heart back into its normal rhythm.
Inside the defibrillator
You can see a demonstration of a machine being used here. The key thing is that you DON'T need training to use the machine, you just need confidence. Confidence to phone 999, get the code and open the box. It would be a scary to use for any of us - but by doing so you could save a life
In case you were wondering the machine is checked on a regular basis. If it is used it is taken away by the emergency services who check it over, replace anything that needs replacing and then return it to the box.