The Leatherhead Advertiser
SURREY, England — Survival rates for cardiac arrests outside of hospital are notoriously low across the country.
But if you’re unfortunate enough to suffer one in Bookham or Effingham, you can at least be assured that your chances of making it through are that much better than usual.
This is thanks to the villages’ ten-strong St John Ambulance Community First Responders.
Trained in first aid, they play a vital role in the first few minutes of an emergency by treating patents while waiting for the regular ambulance service to arrive.
Set up by Craig Chitty, of Norwood Close, Effingham, in July 2006, the scheme has literally been a lifesaver for many of the villagers.
In June Mr Chitty, who also works for the South East Coast Ambulance Service, saved the life of an Effingham resident who was having a cardiac arrest.
He said: “It was one of my neighbours. I walked out the back gate and he was in his front doorway. He had collapsed in the garden after doing lawn mowing and luckily his son was there and heard him hit the ground.
“I was there straight away and was doing CPR, which was the key thing.
“I did use the defibrillator to give a shock and it is that which saved his life, and we continued doing CPR for five minutes.
“He got a really good heart output and we continued to help him with his breathing as he wasn’t breathing on his own, so we gave him oxygen,” he said.
He added: “Those first few minutes were crucial. For every minute that people don’t receive first aid the survival chance drops by 10 per cent.”
As well as Bookham and Effingham, the scheme also covers the Horsleys, Ripley, Send, Fetcham, Cobham and has even stretched out to Headley.
Such a large area means they are dealing with an average of 25 to 30 incidents every month, often of a very serious nature.
Giselle Hampton, of Effingham Common Road, has been volunteering for two years.
She told the Advertiser: “My first call was someone who had fallen through a roof. He had massive injuries, he had a skull fracture and spinal injuries, and that was quite scary.
“My task was to stabilise him and prevent any further injury so that when the air ambulance came, they could carry out the appropriate treatment after that.
“He was trying to move and the last thing you want to have is somebody moving, so I had to be quite firm with him.”
Again a potentially fatal situation was averted by having on-the-spot treatment.
But despite the vital role they play, the First Responders are entirely dependent on their own and donated funds.
The group is now looking for more donations as a full set of equipment for each Responder costs £3,000, training costs are more than £2,000 and even the appropriate clothing costs £100 for each of them.
To this end, on September 25 Craig will be abseiling down Guildford Cathedral, despite a fear of heights.
He said: “This will be something I am going to have to overcome and the more my target is reached, the more I will feel compelled to do my duty and take the steps towards the edge.”
Copyright 2010 Northcliffe Media Limited