Page 52 - ALG Issue 4 2020

Eastern
Defibrillators on Sites
Allotment sites are spread all over the UK and are made up of a variety of plots numbers; some small with only a few plots, and then some of the bigger sites will have well over a hundred plots on them. All of those plots have to have tenants, which means thousands of tenants out there looking after their plots. But how many sites have thought of installing a defibrillator on their site and why you might be thinking of doing so?
But first how many of you are aware
of what a defibrillator is used for? Well it’s to be used for someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest, which is not to be confused with a heart attack. The classification for them is:
A heart attack is when blood
flow to the heart is blocked, and sudden cardiac arrest is when
the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating unexpectedly.
A cardiac arrest usually happens without warning. If someone is in cardiac arrest,
they collapse suddenly and will be unconscious, unresponsive and won’t be breathing, or won’t be breathing normally – not breathing normally may mean they’re making gasping noises.
Some facts and figures relating to cardiac arrests:
Based on European data, it is estimated there are approximately 60,000 Out
of Hospital Cardiac Arrests every
year in the UK. In England alone,
the Ambulance Service attempts resuscitation in around 30,000 Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest cases, annually. Approximately 80% of Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrests occur at home; 20% will occur in public places. Without immediate treatment, 90-95% of Sudden Cardiac Arrest casualties will die. If a defibrillator is used and effective CPR is performed within 3-5 minutes
of cardiac arrest, the chance of survival increases from 6% to 74%.
So, does it make sense to fit a defibrillator? Costs for a machine do
If a defibrillator is used and effective CPR is performed within 3-5 minutes of cardiac arrest, the chance of survival increases from 6% to 74%
vary but there are grants available to
fit one, and there are many training courses available. Of course, you
can’t train everybody on a site, and
not everybody will feel safe using one; however, all machines come with operating instructions and diagrams
of how to operate them and they are designed for use by anybody. The image below shows instructions on the outside of the machine. They can be fixed to a wall or to a post and in a place accessible to all users.
So, think: maybe by installing one you could one day save the life of someone on your site.
Wyn Marshall, Eastern Region Chairman
Memorial Pond
This is a small pond rebuilt on our Rosedale Road site in Little Thurrock, Essex, by Clive Robertson and Tony Briggs to commemorate all the NHS Staff, key workers and care workers during the Coronavirus outbreak. The sign was skilfully carved out by Gary Shulver.
Andrew Klecha, Chairman of The Rosedale Road & Bull Meadow Allotment Association
HERITAGE WORKWEAR
FROM NORFOLK, ENGLAND. carriercompany.co.uk +44 (0)1328 820699
52 Allotment and Leisure Gardener