Newport: Life-saving equipment used by community to help man

LIFE-SAVING equipment has been used by residents in Newport for the first time.

Newport Business Association (NBA) had been renovating the village’s railway station with Essex Probation Service Community Payback team at the weekend when a man in his 40s, a member of the team, fell faint and collapsed. Emergency services were called.

When talking through the incident, the operator called for the Newport Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) unit – a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias – to be used.

NBA founder Jeremy Rose rushed to his car and drove to the unit situated by The Pharmacy in High Street, which was installed last year.

“I must admit I was a little stressed to get the unit out in time,” said Mr Rose, who has been trained. “I keyed in the code, which I always keep on my mobile phone, grabbed the unit and rushed back to the station platform in under five minutes.

“The man had been convulsing and having tachycardiac spasms, so deploying the AED unit was deemed vital.

“Just knowing that the unit was ready was reassuring. We were on hand, the unit was ready and used within five minutes.”

Emergency services responded quickly, with the ambulance arriving within nine minutes of the call going out.

“As anyone knows, if you have heart failure, you need to revive the heart within an eight minute window of opportunity, otherwise a person can die or receive severe brain damage,” explained Mr Rose.

“We’ve trained a seven-year-old and an 87 year-old resident to use the defibrillator. Anyone can use the unit. The fact that we got there within five minutes is hugely gratifying.”

If you are a resident or would like your business to be able to respond and have official training to use the defibrillator, book on the NBA course on October 15 at Newport Fire Station.

Contact Mr Rose on 01799 541114 or e-mail NBA.DEFIB@c-lutions.co.uk.

The course is FREE and open to all.