Community Defibrillator
In 2010 and 2011 the Friends of Savernake Hospital and the Community (the Friends) funded the purchase and installation of 10 community defibrillators in Marlborough and two neighbouring parishes. They are also committed to their ongoing maintenance.
The community defibrillators are very evident around the Marlborough area with their bright, vandal-resistant yellow boxes.
Community defibrillators can be accessed in an emergency by any member of the public by dialling 999. The code to release the defibrillator will be given by the ambulance service. In fact only last week, Friends’ volunteers, helping at the Pop Up Cafe held on 20 November at the Marlborough Christmas Lights Switch On, were asked by an ambulance services call handler to release the Marlborough Library defibrillator (“just in case”) when they came to the assistance of an elderly member of the public who had fallen and hurt his head. Fortunately the defibrillator was not required, and another Friends volunteer kept the gentleman safe and warm until the ambulance service arrived.
When used within the first 3-5 minutes of a person suffering a sudden cardiac arrest, a defibrillator can dramatically increase the victim’s chance of survival.
What many people may not know is that the machine gives clear spoken instructions – you do not need training to use one. Because time is of the essence when someone suffers a cardiac arrest, we have, with the assistance of The Community HeartBeat Trust set out a few guidelines on using a defibrillator so that you have the confidence to use one if an emergency arises. Click here to read more.
