Member Article

York Handmade lay foundations for saving lives

A new life-saving defibrillator has been installed at the headquarters of the York Handmade Brick Company at Alne, near Easingwold.

The installation, which was attended by Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Thirsk and Malton, and Coun Sonja Crisp, Lord Mayor of York, follows an appeal by the HeartSafe Communities campaigners in North Yorkshire.

Guy Armitage, managing director of the award-winning York Handmade Brick Company said: “We are delighted to be supporting the HeartSafe Communities programme by installing an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in a prominent position at our factory. This is an excellent campaign which will undoubtedly safe lives and our involvement underlines our commitment to the local community.”

Last autumn, campaigners Mike McCann and Matthew Baynham of Heartsafe Communities announced that they wanted to find 15 companies in the county willing to sponsor defibrillators for £1,000 each, in return for having their logos on one of the protective casings.

Mike McCann said: “We would like to thank York Handmade for their proactive and compassionate response. The survival chances of someone who has suffered a sudden cardiac arrest increase from around three per cent to 75 per cent if a defibrillator is used on them within ten minutes, so it is self-evident that they are vitally important”.

Kevin Hollinrake added: “It is great when a local business works with the community to the benefit of all its residents in such an extremely important way. It is a thoughtful gesture by York Handmade Brick Company in funding this defibrillator which is a real asset to people living and working in the area.”

The defibrillators are all in protective casings, accessible by a code provided by the ambulance service when someone rings 999. The devices then give easy-to-follow audible instructions on how they should be used.

About 75,000 people a year die in the UK from sudden cardiac arrest and guidance suggests the public should never be more than 200 metres from a device in urban areas. All the new devices would be logged with Yorkshire Ambulance Service, and existing defibrillator owners are also asked to register their devices.

Dave Jones, Community Defibrillation Officer at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said, “It is a real benefit for local communities to have their own defibrillator located in a public place with an access code easily available from the ambulance service.

“Having easy access to a community Public Access Defibrillator (cPAD) means that immediate life-saving care can be provided in an emergency situation, such as cardiac arrest, in the vital minutes before the ambulance arrives.

“We know that in many medical emergencies the first few minutes are critical and if effective treatment can be performed within those first minutes, lives can be saved and disability reduced. The importance of the Chain of Survival, including early recognition, calling 999, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and early defibrillation, cannot be underestimated.

“Using a defibrillator, which delivers a controlled electric shock to stop the heart so that it can naturally return to a normal rhythm, is very straightforward and can be carried out by anyone as the machine itself talks the user through what to do step-by-step.

“These pieces of kit really do have the potential to help to save more lives and are an important asset to local communities.”

Any businesses interested in sponsoring a defibrillator and anyone looking for more information should email matthew.baynham@heartsafecommunities.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .