DOWNEND’S network of life-saving yellow boxes has grown.
Two more defibrillators have been installed in September, at Avonmere care home in Badminton Road and Oakdale Road in Bromley Heath.
Defibrillators are used to give a high-energy electric shock to the heart of someone who is in cardiac arrest and, along with CPR, can keep a patient alive until they can be given professional treatment.
Once one is installed in a lockable cabinet, it can be accessed if someone has a cardiac arrest by calling 999.
Emergency operators have a code which can be used to unlock the cabinet, and can talk the user through the process of attaching pads to the patient’s chest and administering a shock where necessary.
Downend and Bromley Heath Parish Council teamed up with Avonmere Care Home to fund the defibrillator mounted to the outside wall at the entrance to the care home, which close to the Wick Wick roundabout.
Parish council chairman Janet Biggin was invited to cut a ribbon to mark the defibrillator being added to the network.
She said: “I know you are all pleased to have this defibrillator available to support anyone in need of emergency treatment.
“I hope it won’t be needed often, but I am reassured that we now have several defibrillators across Downend and Bromley Heath, all of which are plotted on a map.”
The map can be seen opposite, and also includes the recently-installed defibrillator on the outside of Bromley Heath Park pavilion.
A second defibrillator for Oakdale Road was installed in the middle of the month, near the junction with Bromley Heath Avenue.
The first defibrillator on Oakdale Road is by the southern junction with Oakdale Close.
Both were bought following fundraising by the Oakdale Community Lifesavers group, which raised more than £4,000 within six weeks last year in a fundraising campaign.
The donations included £2,000 from the Downend Round Table Fireworks Fund to add to money from residents.
South Gloucestershire Council’s Streetcare Team helped install the machines, which are part of The Circuit, a national database used by 999 call handlers to direct people to their nearest machine. Details of locations can also be found online at defibfinder.uk.
Fiona Konteh, of Oakdale Community Lifesavers, said: “This completes the defib fundraising that we undertook and we have some surplus funds, which will be used to purchase two spare sets of defib pads.
“Any remaining funds will be donated to the work of the Great Western Air Ambulance service.
“We would like to thank everyone who donated and supported this project.”
For more information on the project or defib training, call 07500 898502.