Defibrillators at Village Institute and Woodlands

Thanks to Cllr Tony Houghton, we now have defibrillators located at the Village Institute and the Woodlands as well as the existing ones at the Gaskell Hall, Lindeth Road, Methodist Church, and Silverdale Hotel (see full list here).

Cllr Houghton showed how to use the defibrillators at the Parish Council Assembly on 21 March 2024. He said the defibrillators at the Silverdale Hotel, Woodlands, and Village Institute are kept safe in their private premises and only available when those premises are open. The ones at the Gaskell Hall, Methodist Church and Lindeth Road are public access defibrillators (PADs), located in locked cabinets but available 24/7 by calling 999. The British Heart Foundation explains:

If someone is in cardiac arrest, call 999 and start CPR. If you’re on your own, do not interrupt CPR to go and find a defibrillator. If it’s possible, send someone else to find one. When you call 999, the operator can tell you if there’s a PAD nearby. Anyone can use a defibrillator. You do not need training. Once you turn it on, it will give clear step-by-step voice instructions.

The CPR that should be given ideally needs some training, and Cllr Houghton said this can be arranged for Silverdale residents through the North West Ambulance Service if enough people want to take part.