By Isle of Wight Observer
WightFibre have had a defibrillator installed at Communications House in Cowes along with defibrillator training for 16 of the team from the Isle of Wight NHS Trust Ambulance service.
A defibrillator is a device that gives a high energy electric shock to the heart of someone
who is in cardiac arrest, the leading cause of premature death. Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time and the use of a defibrillator gives someone the best chance of survival.
WightFibre COO Simon Poole said: “We are always keen to support our team and the local
community, and in line with our ‘Because we care’ ethos, we are delighted to be able to
offer this lifesaving equipment. The defibrillator is for the local community too and will be
accessible during our office opening hours.”
Louise Walker from the Isle of Wight NHS Trust Ambulance Service said: “If someone suffers an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest their first three minutes are absolutely time critical, an AED along with good quality CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) can produce a survival rate as high as 70 per cent, hence why it is essential that these life saving devices are in our local communities.
“On behalf of the IW NHS Trust Ambulance Service I would like to sincerely thank Wightfibre for investing in an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and making it available to the local community should it be required.”
The WightFibre defibrillator brings the total available across the Island to over 430.
