RESIDENTS and visitors to Woodrow Centre will be that little bit safer thanks to the installation of a life-saving defibrillator on the external wall of the Woodrow Community Meeting Rooms.
This will be the third defibrillator Arrow Valley West Councillor Emma Marshall has funded since being elected in 2021.
The first was at Lodge Park Social club and the second at Abbeydale Social Club.
The defibrillators are situated in a heated cabinet, accessed by a code which can be given over the phone by a 999 operator.
Funding for the installation came from Coun Marshall’s divisional funding pot.
Coun Marshall said: “These devices are one of those things you hope never to need, but hope to God are available if you do. I wish one had been close by when my cousin had a cardiac arrest.
“If these defibs save a life then they will have been worth every penny.”
Each year, around 30,000 people are struck by sudden cardiac arrest away from hospitals and if victims aren’t treated quickly, the death rate is around 97 per cent.
Research has shown deploying a defibrillator within three to five minutes of collapse can improve survival rates to as high as 50 to 70 per cent.
If used within the first minute it can be as high at 90 per cent.
Coun Marshall added: “This is why having these devices strategically located through the town is essential.”
In the event of witnessing a cardiac arrest first call 999 and begin CPR.
The 999 operator will be able to guide you through the steps and where the nearest defibrillator is located.
