Another defibrillator is available for the public to use in Bowerhill after it was installed at the head office of a local metal casting and foundry business.
NovaCast, at Unit 8 Lancaster Park in Bowerhill, has been working with a UK defibrillator charity, London Hearts, to install the defibrillator which is registered with a national network connecting it directly to the ambulance service.
“It’s a sobering thought that approximately 95% of people who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest will die before they reach hospital,” says a spokesperson for the company. “This figure could be transformed into a survival rate of 70% if more locally available defibrillators were in place.
“At NovaCast, we have been working with London Hearts, an organisation set up to help facilitate public access defibrillators across the UK. Having a publicly accessible defibrillator is great news for the local community but its benefits are limited if people don’t know it is there, or how to find it quickly in an emergency.
“There are an estimated 100,000 defibrillators across the UK; however, tens of thousands of these are unknown to ambulance and emergency services. Once located and registered, emergency services can direct bystanders to their nearest defibrillator and increase a person’s chance of survival.
“That’s why our defibrillator is registered with The Circuit at the National Defibrillator Network. This network maps defibrillators across the UK, connecting them directly and automatically to the ambulance service. In our case, this is the South West Ambulance Service.
“To find your nearest defibrillator for all units registered with The Circuit, you can access Defib Finder web App using this link: https://www.defibfinder.uk/, simply enter your location and the app will provide location, directions and access information.”
The locations of defibrillators in Melksham’s town are: Melksham Riverside Centre; AVAD Convenience Store, Forest Road; Water Meadow pub, Cranesbill Road; Melksham Assembly Hall in the Market Place; Melksham Fire Station, Semington Road; Premier Store, Beanacre Road; the SSE Building, Spa Road; and the pavilion in King George V Park.
Defibrillators in the surrounding areas can be found at: The Pilot Pub, Bowerhill; the pavilion at Bowerhill Sports Field; The New Inn, Berryfield; Berryfield Village Hall; Shaw Village Hall; Whitley Reading Rooms; St Barnabas Church (entrance porch), Beanacre; Westbury Packaging on Lancaster Road, Bowerhill Industrial Estate; Pathfinder Way; and NovaCast head office, Unit 8 Lancaster Park
