Sussex Police have donated £500 towards the purchase of additional Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) in Southwater.
A team of volunteers who provide emergency medical support to the local community, applied for the grant to buy the equipment, which will be used across the parish.
The Southwater Community First Responders maintain a network of PADs and provide Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)/PAD training.
They are trained to respond in conjunction with South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) and provide immediate care to those who have fallen ill.
The cheque was presented on Friday 18 March at Southwater Community Police Office. In attendance were PCSO Damian Cecil and Southwater CFR Trustees Pauline Flores-Moore, Councillor Claire Vickers (Horsham District Councillor for Southwater North), Tony Bull and Rob Warde.
Southwater Community First Responders is a registered charity and is largely self-funding. Trustee Pauline Flores-Moore, who applied for the grant said:
“The money will be used to fund further Public Access Defibrillators in the Parish. At present we have 13 and are actively looking for additional locations.”
For every minute that someone is in cardiac arrest without receiving CPR and having a defibrillator used on them, their chance of survival decreases by 10 per cent. A defibrillator gives a jolt of energy to the heart, which can help restore the heart’s rhythm, and get it beating normally again. The device is easy to use and does not require training, but it could make the difference between life and death.
PCSO Damian Cecil said:
“We are delighted to support a charity which provides a vital service. I am sure the donation from the Police Property Act Fund will be of benefit everyone in the local community.”
The Police Property Act Fund (PPAF) is a pot of money made up from the sale of found property and from property confiscated by order of the court and then sold.
For more information or to find out how you can support the organisation go to the Southwater Community Responders website.
You will also find a map of all the Public Access Defibrators in the parish.
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