IT IS important for communities to register their nearest public access defibrillator with the South Western Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) so its position is known to 999 call handlers in case of emergency.

However, there are a number of defibrillator positions in the Torridge area that are not known to SWASFT.

Before a defibrillator can be used SWASFT say a call to 999 should be made and someone should always stay with the casualty.

Richard Oaten, assistant community responder officer in Devon for South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT), said: “I would like to make sure everyone knows that in the event of a cardiac arrest 999 should always be called prior to going for a defibrillator and only then if someone stays with the patient and commences CPR whilst waiting for the defibrillator to arrive.”

In the Holsworthy and surrounding villages and parishes defibrillators are sited in the following areas: Ashwater — village green; Bridgerule — Bridgerule Village Hall; Bradworthy — Bradworthy Memorial Hall; Cookbury — outside the Bradford and Cookbury village hall and adjacent to Cookbury Church; Holsworthy — White Hart Public House, HATS theatre, Holsworthy Livestock Market, Bude Road Garage, Holsworthy Football Club; Holsworthy Hamlets — Chilsworthy Village Hall and the Holsworthy Hamlets Parish Council is in the process of applying for grant funding for a second defibrillator for the Staddon Road area of the parish, this is at the planning stage; Halwill — village hall entrance and telephone kiosk at Halwill Junction; Milton Dameral — Milton Dameral Garage; Pyworthy — outside the Molesworth Arms and in the village telephone box; Shebbear — Southview Store; St Giles on the Heath — phone box at Gridley Corner; Sutcombe — outside wall of the village hall; Thornbury — leisure centre; Whitstone — Whitstone Parish Hall; Woolsery — Woolsery Sports and Community Hall and Bucks Cross Village Hall.

However, not all of these defibrillator positioned are listed with SWASFT.

Mr Oaten added: “It would be very helpful if SWASFT could be informed of any defibrillators that are out in the community. We would then list them on our CAD so that callers can be directed to the nearest defibrillator in the case of cardiac arrest.

“We do require that we are kept informed that defibrillators are ‘rescue ready’ on a monthly basis. This is done online and takes two minutes. We call this ‘accreditation’ and we would visit each site to get precise locations and meet the people who would be the ‘guardians’ of each unit.”

For more information visit SWAST’s website www.swast.nhs.uk