We Can All Help to Start a Heart…

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Jersey is a relatively small Island, just 45 square miles. Nowhere is really that far away and it doesn’t take very long to drive from one side to the other.

For those unlucky enough to suffer a cardiac arrest, the few minutes it takes to get an ambulance could be the most important minutes in a lifetime, quite literally the difference between life and death.

As an organisation owned by and run for the benefit of our community, we take our responsibilities seriously. Given the geographical spread on our food stores, we are perfectly positioned to help.

We are in the process of installing 12 public access defibrillators (PADS) which will be available 24/7 across our Locale and Grand Marche stores in Jersey. There are currently 220 defibrillators on the Island, many of them in public places. Please see our defibrillator locations situated on the map below.

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So what is a defibrillator? It is a machine that provides an electrical shock to a person’s heart to restore it to its normal rhythmic pattern. Within just a few minutes of cardiac arrest, a shock from a defibrillator can save a person’s life. If the cardiac arrest victim goes without such a shock, their chance of survival decreases by 10% per minute, so merely waiting for an ambulance to arrive can often end up fatal. Defibrillation and CPR combined can increase someone’s chance of survival by 50%.

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None of us are able to predict our own future, the future of our loved ones or the future of the man or woman who we nod at on the street every day. We certainly can’t predict a cardiac arrest. So I personally feel more comfortable knowing that should the need arise, these PADS are accessible and I can help or be helped in an emergency situation. Anyone and everyone can help save a life with this vital equipment.

In an emergency situation, any member of the public can access the PADS at any time during the day or night. Users are able dial 999 and follow the instructions provided by The States of Jersey Ambulance Service to help to save a life until the emergency services intervene.

Rest assured, during store opening hours, our colleagues in store have received over 92 hours of training with St John Ambulance to ensure that they are comfortable using the PADS, should the need arise.

We have had amazing support from The States of Jersey Ambulance Service and St John Ambulance. I would like to extend our thanks to them for helping us to set up such a valuable resource for our Island’s communities.

Feel safe in the knowledge that should you or your loved ones need it, there is valuable life saving equipment nearby and we can all help to start a heart.
Unfortunately we are unable to install defibrillators in our Guernsey stores at this time but we hope to in the future.

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