CULCHETH based Daten FC has been equipped with a life saving defibrillator, through a partnership between the football association (FA) and the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
Through the partnership the BHF and the FA have made more than 900 defibrillators available to clubs at step 1-7 of the national league system and clubs in the Women’s super league to help prevent lives being lost following a cardiac arrest.
Over 30,000 cardiac arrests happen out of hospital in the UK every year but currently less than 1 in 10 people survive. The BHF say more lives can be saved through creating a nation of life savers by equipping people with the skills and confidence to perform CPR and use a defibrillator. The BHF is also putting systems in place to ensure defibrillators are in places they are needed most.
Daten FC is the latest club to install a defibrillator, giving players, staff and fans access to the equipment needed to help save lives in our community. The club has also been given information about the BHF’s Call Push Rescue training kit which includes everything needed to learn CPR in less than half an hour.
Two thirds of the cost of the defibrillator was provided to the club by the FA and BHF.
Club chairman Stuart Nightingale said: “This vital piece of equipment could prove to be the difference between life and death and it’s a welcome addition to this club and its community. The FA and BHF have made it possible for Daten FC to become part of the nation of Lifesavers which aims to improve the UK’s poor cardiac arrest survival rates. Along with performing CPR, a defibrillator is a vital step that can increase a person’s chance of survival and we’re lucky that we now have the skills and equipment at the club to help save a life”.
Awareness around sudden cardiac arrests were highlighted when former England under-21 star Fabrice Muamba lent his support to the BHF Nation of Lifesavers campaign earlier this year, which calls for all young people to be taught lifesaving skills and defibrillator awareness at secondary schools.
When someone suffers a cardiac arrest their heart stops pumping blood around the body. They stop breathing or do not breath normally, lose consciousness and there are no signs of life. If you see this happen, you must dial 999 and start CPR immediately. A defibrillator, also known as a Public Access Defibrillator or PAD, gives the heart a controlled electrical shock during cardiac arrest. This can , in some circumstances, shock the heart back into a normal rhythm.
For every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation, chance of survival decrease by around 10%. So it’s really important that staff, volunteers, players at Daten FC know both of these vital steps to help someone in an emergency.
