Thanks to the generosity of The Felixstowe Society, Felixstowe Town Council and the East of England Co-op have been able to host two further defibrillators in the town centre (outside the East of England Co-operative store, Hamilton Road and the Senior Citizens Centre, Broadway House, Orwell Road).
The devices, which can deliver a brief electric jolt to establish a normal heart rhythm, are kept within secure high-visibility cabinets installed externally so that they can be accessed at all times in case of an emergency.
Felixstowe now has 12 public access defibrillators across the town and is particularly well-served by these potentially life-saving devices. Their locations are as follows:
- Felixstowe Leisure Centre, Sea Road, Felixstowe IP11 2E
- Sea Road-Beach Road, Toilet Block, Felixstowe IP11 2AE
- View Point Café, John Bradford Viewing Point, Felixstowe IP11 3TW
- The Library, Crescent Road, Felixstowe IP11 7BY
- Felixstowe & Walton Utd Football Club, Dellwood Ave, Felixstowe IP11 9HT
- The Community Centre, Ferry Road, Old Felixstowe IP11 9NB
- Felixstowe Ferry Harbour Master’s Office, Felixstowe Ferry , Felixstowe IP11 9RZ
- East of England Co-op, 279/281 High Street, Walton IP11 9DZ
- Senior Citizens Centre, Broadway House, Orwell Road, Felixstowe IP11 7DD
- East of England Co-op Foodstore, 189 Hamilton Rd, Felixstowe IP11 7DT
- The Dip Public Toilets, Cliff Road, Old Felixstowe, IP11 9SU
- The Spar shop, 105 High Rd East, Felixstowe IP11 9PT
The Mayor of Felixstowe for 2018-19, Cllr Graham Newman, said: “As Town Mayor, I am delighted to be declaring these defibrillators available for use. I’d like to thank the Felixstowe Society for funding these units and the East of England Co-op for agreeing to host on at their premises. The ongoing maintenance of both units will be undertaken by the Town Council going forward. I am proud to say that the Town Council takes the provision of this sort of equipment very seriously, for both its own residents and the thousands of visitors the town receives each year. We have a very generous provision of defibrillators, and wherever you are in the town or on the sea front, you are never far away from one. Whilst we hope you never need to use them, your life might just depend on a defibrillator one day.”
The kit is fully automatic and registered with the ambulance service, so emergency callers can be told the code and directed to the nearest one if required.
Physio-Control LifePak CR Plus Defibrillators are standard issue to around 70% of the UK’s Ambulance and First Responder crews. They invented the Defibrillator in 1955 and have sold more than 650,000 Worldwide. The local Ambulance Service recommend them as they are the same make that they use in their Ambulances and Paramedics can just unplug the pads from the machine and plug into own kit when transferring a patient to hospital.
This Fully Automatic version of the Defibrillator is considered most suitable for lay users. Operation involves just two steps : 1) Turn ON. 2) Stick the Pads on patient’s chest as per diagram. It then does the rest – automatically – It decides IF to shock, WHEN to shock and at WHAT POWER to shock at for best results. It also ‘talks’ the user through the whole process. See : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uhZPzvyu10 for a demonstration (albeit in American).
Defibrillators in Outdoor Cabinets can be registered as a ‘Community Access Defibrillator’ with the local Ambulance Control so that when someone in the area calls 999 and describes Cardiac Arrest type symptoms, the operator will automatically give the caller directions to the Defibrillator and give them the code to unlock the cabinet. Operators are trained in talking a caller through the process of using CPR and a Defibrillator.
Any individuals or organisations who would like further information, please contact Felixstowe Town Hall.