Community Defibrillator

• An emergency 999 call must always first be undertaken whilst with the patient. Do NOT go to the cabinet and then call 999.
• The 999 call operator will ask 2 questions. Is the patient breathing? Is the patient conscious? At this point an ambulance may be dispatched.
• If it is determined a defibrillator is required, you will be advised where the nearest active one is and how to gain access (it is in a locked cabinet).
• If you are on your own with the patient, you will not be sent to fetch the defibrillator but will be asked to undertake CPR until further help arrives.

Key information & guidance, including helpful videos and a more detailed explanation of how a community defibrillator is activated, can be found HERE.

Location (What3Words): yoga.payer.blows

Our Community Defibrillator is located at the entrance to Channels Park and is visible from the street, the parking area and of course the skate park & play area. The postcode is CM33PY however a more accurate way of pinpointing the location is through the What3Words service. What3Words divides the world into 3 metre squares and gives each square a unique combination of three words. It’s the easiest way to find and share exact locations and is used by the ambulance and other emergency services.

The location was discussed with the Community Heartbeat Trust who felt that Channels Park was ideal due to its ease of access and for being no more than a quarter of a mile away from the majority of residents.

Defibrillators (also known as AEDs) are medical devices that help and support a rescue for a patient in Cardiac Arrest. Death from Cardiac Arrest if untreated is about 97% of cases. With the correct and rapid treatment, survival to hospital can, in theory, be raised to around the 70% mark, but this assumes rapid action, good CPR (Chest compressions) and also the timely use of a defibrillator.

Our project has been taken forward in conjunction with the Community Heartbeat Trust, a charity whose aims are to help and support communities in the correct provision of defibrillators.

A detailed grant application was submitted to Little Waltham Parish Council in August 2021 which made the case for funding to cover the capital cost of equipment, installation, set up and the first 2.5 years of a 5-year Annual Support Agreement. The application was discussed at the Parish Council Meeting on Tuesday 7th September 2021 and it was supported by councillors. Residents have also contributed a significant amount towards the project, accounting for circa 20% of the overall sum required.

We would like to thank Little Waltham Parish Council for the generous grant, and all residents that have contributed, because without such funding the project could not have progressed.

The UK Resuscitation Council guidelines indicate that community defibrillators (AEDs) should be able to be used by members of the public with or without any formal training nevertheless it is good practice for as many members of the community as possible to receive some form of training. As such, virtual awareness training sessions (via Zoom) will be made available to the wider Channels resident population.

The project has been led by Andrew Wright & Melanie Williamson (two of the original Channels Community Group founders and current committee members) which has included scoping, fund-raising and implementation. There are additionally a group of volunteers who undertake regular checks on the equipment to ensure that should the defibrillator be used, it can be accessed and will function as expected.

Below you can see two of the resident volunteers with the Parish Clerk, Councillor Melanie Williamson and Andrew Wright from the Channels Residents Community Group who championed the project.