THE Friends of Frome Hospital will this month install the town’s 20th defibrillator after exceeding their goal of having 14 lifesaving devices in the community.
The automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are available in various places around the town, and can be used by anyone in the event of someone suffering a heart attack.
The Friends’ project leader, and Frome Times Person of the Year nominee Derek Trick said, “This cross-community initiative is being supported by the town council, local businesses and various service clubs.
“Each AED is housed in a temperature-controlled cabinet with access controlled by the 999 emergency services. In an emergency, the caller will be directed to their nearest AED and given a five-digit code to release the ready to use defibrillator.
“The defibrillators have easy-to-use instructions and voice prompts, along with advice on how to administer CPR until paramedics arrive on the scene. The defibrillator will deliver a shock to the patient only if it detects it is necessary.
“The AEDs increase the chance of someone surviving a cardiac arrest from 9% to 50% when compared to the use of CPR alone.”
If used in the first four minutes after a sudden cardiac arrest, defibrillators can give victims an 80% chance of survival – a massive 16-fold increase compared to CPR alone. However, the survival rate drops by 14% for every additional minute.
Trudie Lobban MBE, founder and trustee of Arrhythmia Alliance said, “What a great achievement by the Friends of Frome Hospital to ensure their community is safe with the placement of 20 AEDs.
“The Arrhythmia Alliance ‘Now Is The Time’ manifesto, launched during Heart Rhythm Week 2015, will ensure communities are equipped to save many more lives from SCA (sudden cardiac arrest). Every year in the UK, 100,000 people die of SCA, making it the nation’s biggest killer. It kills more people than lung cancer, breast cancer and AIDS combined.”