Community Access Defibrillator

Hi my name is Dean, I am a Lead Paramedic based out of Derriford Ambulance Station and a Lecturer in Paramedic science with the University of Plymouth. I am looking to raise funding for a public access defibrillator.

I recently applied and was granted part funding by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to receive a public access defibrillator (Model: IPAD SP1). The BHF require £600 for the defibrillator, and a further £600 will be used to purchase a heated cabinet (Aviva AED wall cabinet with heating).

Where will it be based?

This Defibrillator will be situated on Brest Road outside of Bodyworld Plymouth PL6 5XN. for this to benefit the community, it needs to be fully accessible if someone in the local area suffers a cardiac arrest. Currently, in this area, there is no defibrillator that is fully accessible, the nearest is 1.4 miles away.

Why is this important to us?

It is no secret that the ambulance service and local hospitals are under extreme pressure. This may mean that if you call for an ambulance, you may be waiting longer than expected.

Annually, 30,000 people suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (BHF, 2022), of those, 1 in 10 people survive. This only emphasises the importance of knowing hands-only CPR and how to use a defibrillator.

The Derriford area of Plymouth is constantly growing, with the population rising due to new developments, businesses and local school. There are three very popular activity centres in this vicinity attracting customers of varied ages but can also increase the risk of sudden cardiac arrest.

We recognise this would be situated near a hospital, but every second counts in a cardiac arrest and could be the difference between the life and death of a loved one.

Restart the Heart day, October 16th 2022

Volunteers from Derriford Ambulance Station and Student Paramedics from the University of Plymouth will participate in outreach events at Bodyworld Plymouth and Clip and Climb. We aim to teach the general public the following;

On behalf of myself, the volunteers and local activity and fitness centres, we hope you can help us make this difference.

Thank you

Dean