Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation saves lives, and defibrillators significantly improve the survival rate of people who suffer cardiac arrest. But if you don’t know how to administer CPR or operate the defibrillator, you’re useless when a heart attack strikes. In June, ten people attended a training session at Withiel village hall – where the defibrillator is fixed to the outside wall – to learn how to keep somebody alive until professional help arrives, the trainer being Ana Jackson from Cornwall Ambulance Service.
The job is simple, but not straightforward. You need to know how to do CPR properly, what’s in the defib kit and when and how to use it, you need to know the meaning of such vital acronyms as Dr ABC and ICE, you need to google ‘message in a bottle medical information’ and to download What3Words onto your mobile phone, and you need to know why you should arrange a mutual support group with your neighbours now, not after the event. A fascinating hour well spent – and Ana Jackson can come back at any time to do another session, for both beginners and those in need of a refresher. Contact Wendy Symons (above, watched by Rob and Charlie) for details.
