Valuable lives in Nottingham could be saved thanks to an initiative between the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), the British Heart Foundation and law firm Browne Jacobson.
The British Heart Foundation and Browne Jacobson have jointly-funded the cost of a defibrillator which will be based at the Nottingham law firm’s Mowbray House headquarters on Castle Meadow Road, with EMAS providing on-site training and support.
The location of the device means that more than 2000 people at all the eight offices that are located on the HM Revenue & Customs owned campus could have access to the equipment within minutes. The equipment, which will be available 24/7, can also be used for the benefit of the general public.
The initiative follows recent statistics issued by the British Heart Foundation which showed that 95 out of every 100,000 people in Nottingham died from coronary heart disease between 2009 and 2011.
The life saving machine aids CPR by analysing a patient’s heart. It delivers an electric shock if needed in the event of cardiac arrest and can be used by anyone who has received the appropriate training to shock a person’s heart back into rhythm.
Experts predict that the use of CPR on someone who has suffered a sudden heart attack improves their chances by 5%. When CPR is used in conjunction with a defibrillator the average chances of survival increases by 50% – a ten-fold increase.
Jason Preston, Head of Business Operations at Browne Jacobson, commented:
“We are delighted to work with EMAS and the British Heart Foundation on this initiative. We hope we never have to use the equipment but are glad we have one on site. It is a vital bit of equipment that could end up saving someone’s life. A number of our colleagues have already undertaken training in its use and the firm hopes to have up to twelve qualified operatives in our office within the coming months.”
Dave McMylor, EMAS Community Resuscitation Trainer, delivered the first tranche of training. He added:
“Sudden cardiac arrest is one the country’s biggest killers. The faster you can respond to an incident the greater the chance of saving someone’s life and we are delighted that Browne Jacobson has joined with us to help in saving Nottingham lives.”
