A CAMPAIGN taken up at the start of this year by the Lions Club of Liskeard is reaching fruition with the installation of Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) in the town and surrounding villages.
‘Restart the Heart Liskeard’ was the rallying cry of Lee Hosken as he prepared for the London Marathon with 18 other Cornish runners.
All were responding to the FLEET (Front Line Emergency Equipment Trust) pledge to put a defibrillator, used to treat heart attack victims in an emergency, in every town and village in Cornwall.
With the Lions club firmly behind the Liskeard appeal, it was not long before the money for the first two defibrillators had been raised. The life-saving equipment is now in place at the Market Inn in St Cleer, and outside the Royal British Legion in Liskeard. A third defibrillator, funded by a private donation to FLEET, is set to go up outside the council offices in Liskeard, and the locations of the next four PADs will be announced soon.
The defibrillators are designed so that anyone can use them without prior training – and the latest technology enables ambulance staff to unlock the case remotely as soon as a 999 call is received, said Norman Trebilcock, of FLEET.
‘When a 999 call is received by ambulance control they can confidently direct the caller to the nearest PAD knowing that it is in full working order. As soon as the PAD is opened, alerts are sent to nominated locals who can help with treating the patient and ensure the defibrillator is maintained so it is ready for future use.’