Eastling Defibrillator

As many of you are aware, we are lucky enough to have a community defibrillator in Eastling. Whilst we all hope that we never need to use it, it can be life-saving in the event of a cardiac arrest, especially given our rural location and the well-publicised difficulties that the ambulance service finds itself in. It seems timely, therefore, just to remind everyone of the its availability and how to access it.

If you find someone collapsed and not breathing normally, the most important thing is to call for help and dial 999. The emergency call handlers are very used to talking people through these situations and will also know the location of the nearest defibrillator. You do not need any training to use a defibrillator, once you have switched it on, it will tell you what to do.

The defibrillator in Eastling is at 1 Manor Lees, which is about 70m from the Carpenters Arms, heading towards Otterden. It is in a white cupboard, at the front of the bungalow and clearly marked with a green AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) sign. In addition to the defibrillator, there is also a first aid kit. No keys or codes are required to access it.

As already mentioned, you do not need any training to use a defibrillator and its use can save a life. However, learning CPR is a fantastic skill and online training is available for free from The British Heart Foundation at revivr.bhf.org.uk. It covers CPR and use of a debrillator. Well worth doing if you have a spare 15 minutes.