LIFE-SAVING DEFIBRILLATORS AVAILABLE FOR USE AT BISHOP’S STORTFORD COLLEGE

23 Apr 2013

Like the FA, Bishop’s Stortford College has joined forces with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to install life-saving Automated External defibrillators (AED) as part of the medical support and care provided at the independent day and boarding school situated on the Hertfordshire and Essex border.

The two AED’s are in coded boxes in positions easily accessible, at any time, on the campus, with the cost being shared between the British Heart Foundation and the school, which caters for girls and boys aged from four through to eighteen.

They can be used by all members of the public as well as those within the College community. Should a situation arise of a cardiac arrest in the School, or close by, all staff have the code to the cabinets. Also, the emergency services will give members of the public the code to access the nearest AED.

AED’s can be used safely even by untrained lay people who witness an arrest or who are nearby and can respond more quickly than the ambulance service. The minutes saved are crucial and the strategy has been responsible for saving many lives.

In addition, Bishop’s Stortford College has invested in a trainer AED and the medical team are in the process of providing in-house training to staff. Initiating the purchase of the AED’s, College Nurse, Clare Andrews, said “Bishop’s Stortford College is a large campus used by people of all ages and we feel it is invaluable to provide this resource.”