Ogmore MS urges constituents to register their defibrillators with ’The Circuit’.
Ogmore MS, Huw Irranca-Davies has praised the increased availability of defibrillators within his constituency and across Wales generally, and is calling for communities and organisations to register their defibrillators with national defibrillator network ‘The Circuit’.
Thanks to an increase in awareness, there are now 5500 known defibrillators in Wales, with every one having the potential to save a life.
What to do if you see someone having a heart attack
Cardiac arrests can happen to anyone, at any time and a defibrillator offers life-saving treatment while waiting for emergency services to arrive. The British Heart Foundation explains the steps to take if you come across someone in cardiac arrest:
- Call 999
- Start CPR
- Ask someone to bring a defibrillator if there’s one nearby (if no one is available to get one, listen to the emergency operator for further instructions)
- Turn on the defibrillator and follow its instructions.
A spokesman from the BHF says:
“You don’t need to be trained to use a defibrillator – anyone can use it. They are simple and easy to use and you don’t need any training. There are clear instructions on how to attach the defibrillator pads. It then assesses the heart rhythm and will only instruct you to deliver a shock if it’s needed. You can’t deliver a shock accidentally, the defibrillator will only allow you to shock if it is needed.”
Why your Defibrillator Needs to be Registered
Too many people are still dying from cardiac arrest, because too many of defibs have not been registered with ‘The Circuit – the national defibrillator network’. Emergency services and first responders cannot direct callers to their nearest defibrillator unless they know where they are. Tens of thousands of defibs are currently unregistered, meaning they are unknown and unused by ambulance services. Because of this only 1 in 20 people in Wales survive cardiac arrests outside of hospitals.
Ogmore MS Huw Irranca-Davies is proud to support the British Heart Foundation’s campaign to ramp up defibrillator registration and urges anyone who is a guardian of or owns a defib to make sure it is registered with the BHF. The Ogmore MS said:
“After the amazing work done by our local groups and volunteers in getting defibs out and about within our communities, it is vital we make sure they are all registered as only when they are registered can they do the good we put them there for.
“This will be of massive help in continuing our battle with cardiac arrest. I hope everyone in Ogmore and the rest of Wales will join me in supporting the BHF’s efforts to register all the defibs across Wales.
“Our local communities are working so hard to extend the network of defibrillators but I’d ask everybody to make sure their local defibrillator is registered. Remember, an unregistered defib is unknown to emergency services and is unused. Nobody wants to see this. We are doing so well in combatting the awfully low figures of survival of cardiac arrest, this is a step closer to improve the chances of surviving cardiac arrest, so please please make sure your defib is registered and if it isn’t, register it now.”