Thurlaston Community Defibrillator
In 2017 the Thurlaston community purchased an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) which has been installed in the original telephone kiosk on Main Street.
It is available 24/7. The equipment is available to anyone that requires it, including the wider community.
Shirley (email: shirleyhall66@icloud.com) normally provides training on the use of the AED. She also routinely checks the equipment to ensure it is always in working order. The 2020 Coronavirus pandemic has prevented formal AED training courses from being undertaken. The information below provides AED deployment guidance.
Additional information on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and use of an AED are available from the British Heart Foundation.
What is an AED?
An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a portable, self-powered device that guides the user through the stages of analysing a patient’s heart rhythm and administers electrical shocks to the patient’s chest if needed. This action is called defibrillation.
If you come across someone who is unconscious, unresponsive, not breathing or not breathing normally, they’re in cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrests can happen to anyone, at any time.
The AED is kept in a secure yellow cabinet in the telephone kiosk. To obtain the equipment release code dial 999.
Four steps to take if someone is having a cardiac arrest:
- Call 999.
- Start CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation).
- Ask someone to bring the AED from the Main Street telephone kiosk. In the kiosk dial 999 and wait for the access code to release the AED.
- Turn on the defibrillator and follow its instructions.
Who can use a defibrillator?
You don’t need to be trained to use a defibrillator – anyone can use it.
The AED talks to the user and guides them clearly, step by step.
There are clear instructions on how to attach the defibrillator pads to the patient’s chest. It then assesses the heart rhythm and will only instruct you to deliver a shock if it’s needed.
You cannot deliver a shock accidentally; the defibrillator will only allow you to shock if it is needed.
Correct at 6th June 2023