A lifesaving community defibrillator has been used for the first time just days after it was installed.
The new piece of kit in Trimdon Colliery, County Durham, was used to try and save the life of a patient on Monday (January 23), exactly seven days after it was installed.
The device is one of three installed across Trimdon Village, Grange and Colliery last week following investment from the local parish council.
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Joseph Hobson, Clerk of Trimdon Parish Council, told The Northern Echo: “It’s in tragic circumstances that the defib gets used but it’s very positive if it’s used properly as it can save someone’s life.
“We only installed them on Monday last week (January 16) but we received notification that one of them has already been used.
“They cost about £1,500 each but for me that’s a very cheap price if it saves one life.”
It is not known whether the defib saved the life of the person it was used on.
The device, when used during immediate CPR, can double the chances of survival according to the British Heart Foundation.
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For every minute it takes for a defibrillator to reach someone and deliver a shock, their chances of survival fall.
Speaking just last week after the devices were installed John Burton MBE, Chairman of Trimdon Parish Council said: “The defibrillators will add to the growing coverage in the East Durham Rural Corridor and may help save the lives of residents or visitors to the area.”
The British Heart Foundation is currently calling for anyone with a defibrillator to register them with a national directory called The Circuit, which can be accessed by ambulance services to allow them to better help those in cardiac arrest.
The devices are located at Trimdon Village Library, Trimdon Grange Community Centre, and The Royal Public House, Trimdon Colliery.
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