Defibrillators

There are now two defibrillators in Charlton Village

The first is located on the outside wall of the porch of The Old Schoolroom in Ryden Lane.
The second is located inside the recently refurbished telephone kiosk at the Eastern end of the village green.

Both defibrillators have instructions for access and use clearly displayed on the outside of the cases.

Initial CPR / Defibrillator training has been carried out courtesy of a local GP and paramedic living in the village, and 37 residents have gained experience of carrying out CPR and using the defibrillator equipment.

The following advice comes courtesy of the British Heart Foundation’s website regarding the use of Public Access Defibrillators.

The Parish Council takes no responsibility for the accuracy or relevance to any particular heart incident

  • If you come across someone who is not breathing or breathing erratically, the most important thing is to call 999 and START CPR to keep the blood flowing around the body. After a cardiac arrest, every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces someone’s chance of survival by 10 per cent.
  • If you’re on your own, don’t interrupt the CPR to go and get a defibrillator. If it’s possible, send someone else to find one. When you call 999, the operator can tell you if there’s a public access defibrillator nearby.
  • Once the defibrillator is open and in position, all you have to do is follow the spoken instructions. Many defibrillators will also have diagrams or a screen to help you. The defibrillator detects the heart’s rhythm, it won’t deliver a shock unless one is needed.
  • Often you’ll need to press the shock button although some fully automatic defibrillators will deliver the shock themselves. You should resume CPR as soon as instructed by the defibrillator.