A regular visitor to Kelling Heath Holiday Park in North Norfolk had reason to be grateful to a local scheme which has placed a defibrillator at the holiday park and trained staff how to use it.
The visitor was using a rowing machine in the gym when he experienced chest pain and collapsed. When staff first aiders arrived at his side, two started chest compressions and a third went to fetch the defibrillator which had been installed on site in September. After shocking and further compressions he began breathing normally.
An ambulance arrived on scene shortly afterwards and gave oxygen therapy before transporting the patient to the Norfolk & Norwich University hospital where he is making a good recovery.
Staff at Kelling Park have been trained to use the defibrillator by the East of England Ambulance Service through the Holt & Communities First Response Defibrillator Project, in association with the Community HeartBeat Trust. Ian Willgress, an ambulance service trainer, visited the team after the event to congratulate them on a successful resuscitation and having taken the reading from the equipment to the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, was able to confirm that a cardiac arrest had occurred and that they had taken the correct course of action.
The defibrillator at Kelling was donated in memory of local man, Ian “Brit” Baldestone by his family and friends. In the same month two further defibrillators were installed in Weybourne and Blakeney villages, funded by the Holt & Communities First Response Unit with funds raised and donated from their communities.
Holt & Communities First Response Unit are working alongside the East of England Ambulance Trust in the drive to get public access defibrillators as commonplace.
H&CFR hope to install a further number of defibrillators into thearea this year.
Andrew Barlow, responder manager for the ambulance service in Norfolk said: “The more of these automatic defibrillators in the community the better as they really can make the difference between somebody surviving a heart attack or not. We will be continuing to provide training and ongoing support to these communities.