Life-saver on the corner

SAVING lives is all the rage at Fashion Corner after a defibrillator was installed on site.

The council building, home to approximately 120 children’s services staff members, has introduced the lifesaving device which 999 ambulance service operators can direct people to during the opening hours of weekdays 8.30am – 4.45pm.

Staff will also be trained in basic CPR and defibrillator use so they are confident in helping someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest should they ever witness an emergency. Performing these techniques in the crucial minutes before an ambulance arrives can triple a person’s chances of survival.

Coun Jaqueline Beswick said: “It is vital that CPR and defibrillation is performed on a person who’s suffered a cardiac arrest as soon as possible so they have a ●●With the newly installed defibrillator at Fashion Corner are (from left) Joy Barlow (building support manager at Fashion Corner), Coun Jaqueline Beswick (cabinet member for health and wellbeing) and Lisa Kimpton (public health programme officer) fighting chance. “That’s why it’s great to see more defibrillators being installed and even more local people learning how to be life savers.

“I am so pleased with the progress of our Roch Defibs project so far but we want people in the borough of Rochdale to have the same chances of surviving a cardiac arrest as people in Denmark, where currently 45% of victims survive. Anyone can save a life so if you want to fundraise for a defibrillator in your community or arrange a cardiac smart training session, get in touch and we’ll do our best to help.”

This defibrillator is the latest to be installed as part of the ‘Roch Defibs’ project; a council and North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) partnership project which aims to increase the chances of surviving a cardiac arrest in the borough.

Some 26 defibrillators in highly-populated and easily accessible community venues across the borough, with plans to increase this to 32 in the coming months. It has also trained almost 2000 local people in CPR and defibrillation as well as helping to save the life of Allan Turner, 72, who suffered a cardiac arrest at Tunshill Golf Club in July 2016.

For more information visit rochdale.gov.uk/ defibs