St Olaves is in safe hands thanks to a family firm
Long-established gardening company GDC has invested £2000 in a defibrillator for the area.Colin, Nigel and Staurt Barnes with Toni Anderson and Grace King holding the defibrillator.Picture: James Bass - Credit: Eastern Daily Press © 2015
After learning about the life-saving value of defibrillators a long-established family firm has invested in one for the benefit of its employees and wider community.
Staff and directors at landscaper and lawnmower specialists GDC in St Olaves were told about the crucial difference the units could make while undergoing first aid training in September.
Now they are celebrating the arrival a defibrillator at their Beccles Road office after learning about the importance of having them at key sites around the county, and especially in rural areas where provision could be patchy or even non-existent.
Office manager Grace King said the nearest defibrillator was a good distance away in Thurlton, making the purchase all the more essential for the 30 people who work there, their customers, and the village as a whole.
She said that while staff had received training the unit had built-in instructions and could be operated by anyone.
'We just want to let everyone aware that it is here,' she said. 'Then if the worst did happen we could get it to them and it could make a massive difference. It is such a clever machine. Once it brings someone round it continues to monitor the heart and if they need a shock again it will say. Also you can download all the data and hand it to the ambulance when it arrives so they can have a complete picture of what has been going on.'
She said the training had been a real eye-opener for everyone.
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Figures revealed that people had just a 6pc chance of survival with CPR alone. But recovery rates shot up to 70 to 80pc when a defibrillator was used.
Time, however, was of the essence with every minute's delay leading to a 10 to 14pc drop in the chances of a positive outcome.
A defibrillator helps to re-start the heart by delivering electric shocks to patients suffering from cardiac arrest.
BDC is a family business that was established more that 40 years.
The company has spent around £1000 on the life-saving machine, and while they hope it will never be pressed into action directors do want people to know it is on site and available in an emergency.
