Sandown is set to become a community of lifesavers after the Isle of Wight Zoo was awarded a grant by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) enabling the Zoo to have its existing defibrillator relocated.
The Zoo has held a defibrillator for around 4 years now after the Isle of Wight NHS Ambulance Service recognized the Zoo as a prominent location in Sandown for such a vital piece of life saving equipment. Thanks tot he BHF grant, the defibrillator (PAD) is now housed in a purpose built safe located by the Zoo’s main entrance area, ensuring its availability to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The defibrillator is a portable device that can be used by a member of the public to help restart the heart when someone has a cardiac arrest. This is when the heart stops pumping blood around the body and they lose conscious almost at once. For every minute that passes without defibrillation and CPR, chances of survival decrease by around 10, so it’s really important the people of Sandown know both of these vital steps to help someone in an emergency.
Over 30,000 cardiac arrests happen out of hospital in the UK every year but currently less than 1 in 10 survive. The BHF want to create a Nation of Lifesavers in a bid to boost these shocking survival rates. To date, the BHF have helped place over 13,000 life-saving defibrillators in communities around the UK.
Andy Harper, Site Manager at the Isle of Wight Zoo said:
“We are delighted to have been awarded the grant by the British Heart Foundation to enable us to provide public access to this lifesaving package. The defibrillator will be located outside our main entrance meaning that local people will have the best chance of survival should they suffer a cardiac arrest. We’re keen to get as many people as possible trained in CPR too”.
Judy O’Sullivan, Assistant Programme Director at the BHF said:
“More than 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital every year but less than one in ten survive. More people could be saved if more defibrillators were available in public places and if more people felt confident using them and performing CPR.
Article continues below this advertisement “We are delighted that the Isle of Wight Zoo have joined the BHF’s Nation of Lifesavers campaign – by making another defibrillator available in Sandown it could really be the difference between life and death”.
To find out more about defibrillators and how to place one in your organisation or community visit www.bhf.org.uk.
For more information on Isle of Wight Defibrillator locations visit www.heartsafe.org.uk.
