AED devices in rural halls
Fencourt Hall has just had an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) installed for the rural community to use.
Cambridge St John volunteer Alan Grant embarked on a mission to have the devices placed in rural areas, so people living far from the town centre could have easy access to one if it was needed.
An AED is a portable electronic device that can help a person in cardiac arrest by ‘‘jump starting’’ their heart with electricity.
There are 31 AEDs in Cambridge, seven of those have 24/7 access, but the drive from rural areas into town was too long.
An AED needs to be reached within a five minute return trip to help someone, because for every minute longer it reduces the chance of survival by 10 per cent.
Contributions from Goodwood School, parents of children at the school, and Fencourt residents enabled the life saving device to be installed. Grant said other rural areas are getting involved.
Te Miro had an AED donated, and one will be installed at Bunnies Childcare on Thornton Rd.
‘‘HeartSafe has chosen to put it at Bunnies because it covers Maungakawa and St Kilda as well,’’ he said.
His next target areas are Karapiro, Matangi and Tauwhare. ‘‘We just need someone from each to show an interest in being the champion of it all.’’