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Defibrillator equipment donated to community

Edited by the Manufacturingtalk editorial team Dec 7, 2005

Laerdal donates Heartstart training equipment to Marwell Zoo for new community responder scheme.

Laerdal donates Heartstart training equipment to Marwell Zoo for new community responder scheme.

Marwell Zoological Park has initiated a brand new community responder scheme that provides immediate emergency medical response to staff and visitors within Marwell's 100-acre site.

To enable first responders to administer prompt defibrillation to victims of sudden cardiac arrest, the Park has purchased a Laerdal Heartstart FR2 defibrillator.

To celebrate the sale of 200,000 Heartstart defibrillators sold worldwide since 2000, Laerdal Medical has donated vital defibrillator training equipment to the Scheme.

The Little Anne AED Link Trainer, which includes lifelike "Resusci Anne" manikins and a Hearstart training defibrillator, will be used to teach the team of first responder volunteers how to administer CPR and defibrillation.

Ian Goodwin, responder co-ordinator at Marwell Zoological Park, comments: "Having a defibrillator in the zoo means that our team of Responders can give vital life-saving first aid to anyone suffering a cardiac arrest within minutes of the message being received.

"For every minute saved until the ambulance arrives, the chances of survival and recovery are increased.

"The defibrillator will be kept on a special first aid buggy that has been donated by Marwell Hotel, and the person on first aid duty will have this close by them during their working hours in the zoo.

"There will be swift contact with Hampshire Ambulance control centre and this will greatly enhance our service to the visiting public".

"In 2005 we had fourteen incidents that were classed as "Category A" and with the addition of the defibrillator equipment we could have responded to these calls with increased benefit to the patient.

"With annual visitor numbers of over 450,000 and growing, the chances of more serious incidents occurring is likely to increase.

"We have a team of twelve responders and have to re-qualify twice a year under the Hampshire Ambulance scheme.

"With our own training defibrillator equipment our skills can be kept up to date on a more regular basis throughout the year.

"Frequent practice gives confidence and will speed up our response when an emergency occurs".

The Heartstart FR2 defibrillator is used to treat victims of sudden cardiac arrest by over 50 per cent of the UK's NHS ambulance services.

It is 100 per cent reliable, robust, small and surprisingly easy to use, despite being a very technically advanced piece of equipment.

As such it is the defibrillator of choice for many community responder schemes across the UK.

The Little Anne AED Link Trainer is one of five donations by Laerdal this year.

A Heartstart defibrillator has been donated to: Royal National Lifeboat Institution for use at the busy Tower Pier lifeboat station in the City of London; the Southport Lifeboat, an independent lifeboat station that amongst other operations was involved in the rescue of the cockle pickers from Morecambe Bay; Essex Fire and Rescue for use by their International Search and Rescue Division; and Selly Oak Hospital's West Midlands CARE Team - a team of volunteer doctors who attend serious accidents and medical emergencies to offer specialist skills and lifesaving treatment.