An initiative that improves access to life-saving equipment in town centres has been supported by Farnham Town Council.
An automatic external defibrillator has been installed on the outside wall of Farnham Town Council’s offices in South Street. This is the third public access defibrillator site in the town centre and is part of a project that has been managed by the Farnham Lions Club and funded by The Farnham Institute.
The other accessible automatic external defibrillators are located at the St John Ambulance Offices in Lion and Lamb Way and the Farnham Maltings.
Councillor Paddy Blagden, Mayor of Farnham says: “The chances of surviving cardiac arrest increase if defibrillation is administered as quickly as possible. I find it quite reassuring to know that anybody who suffers a cardiac arrest in the town centre will never be more than a few hundred metres away from a defibrillator. This is a fantastic project and I congratulate the Farnham Lions and The Farnham Institute for making it happen.”
It is a stark reality that anybody who suffers cardiac arrest will die within just a few minutes unless rapid action, which includes Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation, is taken immediately.
As well as supporting the provision of accessible life-saving equipment the Farnham Lions offer free training on emergency life support skills to members of the public. The Heartstart training includes how to give CPR and how to put somebody into the recovery position. Anybody wishing to find out more should email heartstartfarnhamlions@hotmail.co.uk.
The Farnham Institute welcomes enquiries for funding of local projects. For more information, groups should email Meg Daniels at megdaniels@talktalk.net.
