Life-saving gift for Nidderdale village
The new defibrillator in place outside Darley Post Office (s)
An anonymous donor has presented a Nidderdale village with hi-tech first aid equipment after an 86-year-old man recovered from a heart attack thanks to a quick thinking villager.
The village of Darley now has its own Automated External Defibrillator (AED), installed outside the post office on the village’s Main Street.
The generous donation came after an 86-year-old man who was visiting Darley had a heart attack while out walking.
A village resident carried out CPR on the man within minutes and he was able to make a full recovery, but when paramedics arrived they said without immediate CPR the man would not have survived.
A local couple were so touched by the story they decided to give the village a defibrillator, to make sure other lives are not endangered in the time it takes for an ambulance to arrive at the remote village.
The couple gave the AED to the parish council who have now installed it in a secure box outside the post office on Main Street, Darley.
Parish clerk Sue Welch said: “They prefer to remain anonymous but their community spirit in making this generous gesture is much appreciated.
“Darley is one of the nicest places in the world to live and hopefully someone may get to live here that bit longer thanks to this life-saving device.”
The AED is simple to use and gives loud voice and visual instructions once someone opens the lid, she added.
Whoever operates it needs to place two self-adhesive tabs on the victim’s chest so the machine’s micro-processor can record an ECG of the patient, before deciding whether or not to deliver a life-saving shock. If a pulse is detected, the machine will not deliver the shock but continues to give instructions.
“It is a very advanced piece of life-saving technology and designed to be used on anyone weighing over 20 kilograms,” Mrs Welch added.
Volunteers in the village are also being trained to help in medical emergencies. Their phone numbers will be lodged in the secure box with the equipment so that anyone accessing the AED can also contact someone for extra help until the emergency services arrive.
Anyone who lives locally and is interested in being trained to help should contact Sue Welch, parish clerk, on clerk@darleyparishcouncil.org.uk.
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Friday 24 May 2013
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