Wildlife centre set to get a lifesaver!
DEFIBRILLATORS are set to be installed at a West Lancashire nature reserve and other community venues across the county thanks to the Lancashire Lifesavers campaign.
In March it was announced that Lancashire County Council was to invest £30,000 in the lifesaving equipment as part of the campaign, which is also supported by the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) and BBC Radio Lancashire.
People were asked to nominate a suitable location for the devices to be installed, with dozens of nominations being received.
And after all the nominations were carefully considered the final list of locations has been revealed.
Locally, a defibrillator will be installed at Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve in Rufford.
Other venues include pubs, schools, shops, sports clubs and places of worship.
County councillor Geoff Driver CBE, leader of Lancashire County Council, said: “I am delighted that this lifesaving equipment is to be installed across Lancashire, and that it is the county council that is helping to make this happen.
“Lancashire Lifesavers has been an absolutely brilliant campaign.
“More than 2,500 people have been trained in how to give CPR, including myself, through the campaign and now it is great to know that lifesaving equipment will soon be available to help save lives all across the county.
“Around 30,000 cardiac arrests happen out of hospital in the UK every year.
“If people receive CPR quickly from someone and can also use a defibrillator, they have a much better chance of surviving and recovering.”
Chris Hyde, community resuscitation manager at NWAS, said: “We really hope that these defibrillators will make a real difference should someone suffer from a cardiac arrest.
“We have a simple message here at NWAS.
“The chance of survival is reduced by 10% for every minute without CPR and defibrillation, so the more people who have CPR training and access to defibrillators the better.
“The most important thing is to act quickly as just a few minutes can make all the difference.”