At Bridport Bowling Club we have a defibrillator, but do you know when and how to use it?
There are a number of resources on the Internet which can help you gain or improve your first aid skills. Below we have listed a few which focus on heart problems, and help you decide whether to do CPR, when to use a defibrillator, and then what to actually do.
20 minutes of your time now may save someone’s life later.
Please do remember that one of the first things to do is to call 999, and to put the phone on hands free so anyone working on the patient can also speak to, and take instructions from, the operator. THE ADDRESS OF THE BOWLS CLUB IS INSIDE THE COVER OF THE DEFIBRILLATOR
If possible one person should assess the patient (see instructions in links below), one should phone 999, and another person should get the defibrillator.
CPR should only be done if someone is:
- unconscious and not breathing
- unconscious and not breathing properly.
If someone is unconscious but they’re breathing normally call 999 and put them in the recovery position.
The British Heart Foundation has an online tutorial which takes less than 20 minutes. It uses your phone or tablet to help you perform CPR (on a cushion!) at the right speed. You must go through the whole training as instructions on how to tell if someone is unresponsive and needs CPR are in the second half of the training, together with guidance on how hard to push.
If you are unable to use the BHF training (for example do not have a camera) St John’s Ambulance have a number of very good video tutorials covering similar information. We have selected three below:
