Selsey Walking and Outdoor Festival 2019

The Selsey Community First Responders (SCFR) Scheme wish to say a huge thank you to the Selsey Walking and Outdoor Festival/Open Gardens Scheme for their organisation of a fantastic event and to all garden owners who chose to present their gardens in such a fabulous way to be enjoyed by all those who visited on the day of the Selsey Open Gardens event.  Everyone’s hard work culminated in the SCFR being presented with a cheque for a magnificent £3,136.

Whilst South East Coast Ambulance (SECAmb) recruit and provide the initial and on-going training for our Responders ensuring that they are always compliant with with best practise, SCFR is responsible for ensuring that the Responders are fully supported to fulfil their roles, which are given on a voluntary basis. We supply our Responders with a defibrillator, medical supplies, a uniform and the transport to respond when assigned to a 999 emergency call by SECAmb.

SCFR has a fleet of 3 cars at present bought from contributions made by Selsey Town Council, local businesses and the people of Selsey. Each vehicle has to be taxed, insured and serviced as required.

In addition, SCFR has over the past 2 to 3 years procured and installed defibrillators in eleven locations throughout Selsey.

It is hoped that, with the continued generosity of the Selsey community, the installation of defibrillators will be extended in the coming years, but our first priority will always be to keep our Responders on the road helping to save lives in the community – every second counts

…AND YET ANOTHER PAD

Another Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) has been fitted to the East Beach Kiosk and, as the name implies, is for use by the public in case of emergency. However, it is important to understand that these PADs are operated in conjunction with the South-East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb)  so ……

HOW TO USE A PAD

Make a 999 call and the SECAmb call-taker will assess the situation and, if needed, the rescuer will be given the location of the nearest PAD and the code to unlock the box.  Keep the line to the call-taker open so that further advice or help can be given.  Make sure you have the code clearly in your mind before heading off for the nearest PAD. Without it you will not be able to open the box.   The box contains a Smart Defibrillator which will tell you what to do and when to do it. With the line kept open, the call-taker will be there to help.

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT -2019

My Reports for 2017 and 2018 repeated the 2016 headline in the Chichester Observer – “Desperate Selsey First Responders at breaking point”. I am delighted to report that this headline no longer applies. We are now financially and operationally fit for purpose.

Operationally, training of Responders by SECAmb has been the major problem. As a result we have had, and lost, several volunteers. Therefore, I wrote to the CEO of South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) to advise him that the Selsey Community First Responder service was in jeopardy unless we get our volunteers trained. A positive response was received, initially from the CEO and subsequently from the Director of Operations.  Changes within SECAmb coincided with this correspondence and a recruiting period occurred during January/February 2019. Two of our volunteers, Heather Gaughran-Gritt and Carol Jerram, have been trained and are in the process of being validated making them operational.

SCFR’s registration with the Charity Commission ceased in 2010, presumably because our annual income was below the required £5K.  However, we remained registered as a charity with HMRC. An improvement in our income allowed us to renegotiate our position with the Charity Commission and, after nearly 12 months hard work by the Treasurer, our registration was renewed. Our old charity number, 1096931, has been resurrected.

The support SCFR receives from the Selsey Community remains impressive. So much so, that we have been able to purchase another car (Kia Picanto) and this is in the process of being branded and should be operational in a few days. Our original and old Picanto was sold earlier in the year for £500. It passed its MOT, but it was clear that expensive repairs would be needed before the next MOT. Presently we are financially secure. However, the Corporate Partners final payment is due this year and the agreement will have to be renegotiated, hopefully for another 3 years. Oceanair has been taken over by Dometic and it is uncertain whether they will accept the agreement made with Oceanair. A letter has been sent to the CEO of Dometic, but no reply has been received to date. I would like to thank every individual and organisation who have supported us so generously throughout the year.

Requests for demonstrations on the application of CPR and the use of defibrillators are regularly being received. So much so, that we now have one Responder being tasked as Demonstrations Coordinator. At present, arrangements for 2 demonstrations have been finalised, but 3 more are pending. As usual, there will be a demonstration on Lifeboat Day.

We have placed a further Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) on the East Beach Kiosk, making 10 installations operated by SCFR. A further site presently is being considered. Once again, our thanks to Rose Electrics for installing the PADs without charge; a considerable financial saving for us. Our PAD at the Southern Cooperative was activated in October 2018 and, as a result, the gentleman concerned recovered.

We shall take part in ‘Lifeboat Day’ and ‘Lights Day’ again this year and further fundraising events are being planned. Here I should like to thank Liz Watson and her fundraising sub-committee for their enthusiastic efforts; both in raising funds and spreading the word about the SCFR. I am sure the momentum will be maintained during 2019/20.

Our Responders Frank Doel, Phil Ingram and Tim Watson continue to work incredibly hard, but with 2 more Responders coming on-line their work load should ease. There is another volunteer to be trained, but it is unclear when this might be. Lives have been saved.

I should like to thank our Treasurer/Purchasing Manager for all he has done, despite illness making things more difficult. He has been a great support to me and a wise adviser.

Finally, Bernie Stevens (Treasurer) is retiring and so is Liz Watson (Lead Fundraiser). Their devotion to the SCFR over the years has been quite exceptional and, without their determination to succeed, there have been times when organisation could have failed.

I am retiring likewise and cannot emphasise enough that the support I have received from the members of the Team and the Selsey Community in general allows me to depart with the SCFR in good heart. Thank you so much.

(Dennis Collins)

Chairman

Two new PADs

Sadly, on 14th August 2017 a much-respected Selsey gentleman died in hospital. His family decided that any funds raised should be donated to the Selsey Community First Responders and asked us to say how the money would be spent. In the event, the money raised by the family and friends was substantial; indeed, sufficient to fund a complete Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) installation. It was suggested to the family that this is how the money should be spent and they agreed. Therefore, a new PAD has been installed on the front of the public toilets at the end of Hillfield Road close to the beach. It carries a brass plaque which reads:  In loving memory of Gary Byford, 20th June 1958 to 14th August 2017. ‘Continuing to help others’.

This is the first time in Selsey that a PAD has been funded in this way and we are very grateful to the family for thinking of us.

Another ‘first’ is the fixing of a PAD to a private house in a residential area. Colin Rose (Rose Electrics) has been installing all our PADs at no cost and has been a great supporter of the First Responders. He took this a stage further by asking if he could sponsor and fit a PAD security cabinet to his house. We readily agreed and said we would provide the defibrillator. Finding locations in residential areas is very difficult and does have legal implications. So, a hige thank you Colin.

How it’s done …….

As many of you will know, we have been fitting Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) around Selsey and there are now 6 in place with at least 2 more to come. But we know also that people are very wary of them indeed, one may say frightened.  To show that there is no magic in using them, we decided that we needed to give ‘hands on’ demonstrations as to their use.

We have given demonstrations in the past to selected groups and on Lifeboat Day. However, a more general event was needed and, thanks to St Wilfrid’s Catholic Church for giving us the use of their Hall and to many members of the church for their considerable help, the event was arranged. But, how many would come-10 -20 -, we had no idea. In the end, over 100 people attended. A figure well beyond our expectations. The businesses and residents of Selsey funded the PADS and it is clear that they have a great interest in how to use them and the success of the scheme.

We will be holding general demonstrations at different locations in the future and these will be advertised well in advance.

Finally, as you can see, you are never too young to learn CPR and the skill of defibrillator use.

…the magnificent three

Although the prime task of The Selsey Community First Responders Scheme is to provide rapid response to accident or emergency as directed by the South East Coast Ambulance Service, we do look at other areas where we believe protection of the community can be improved.  For example, we have been collecting funds and placing Public Access Defibrillators in strategic places around the town.

One area which is causing us some concern is the skateboard park. Quite understandably it is a very popular facility and we would not wish to suggest any restrictions to its use.  However, we would like to emphasize the desirability of users wearing some form of protection such as kneepads, elbow pads and head protection.  To this end, we thought that we would hold a painting competition for children to paint a scene depicting the need to wear protection when taking part in fun, but potentially dangerous, activities.

All the schools agreed to take part and we were delighted to receive sponsorship from Selsey Arts Dream which enabled us to present a prize of a £25 book token to the winning painting from each school.  The winners were selected by the members of the Tuesday morning Art Group and the pictures were displayed at the Autumn Exhibition in the Town Hall.  Also, Colin Rose, of Rose Electrics, offered to take the winners for a spin in his Suburu Impreza rally car, but not at rallying speeds!!

Who were the winners?  

The other winner was Boroka Kiss from The Academy, but she declined to have her photograph taken.

Finally, the top 2 winners, Jack Oliver and Boroka Kiss, had the opportunity to name our vans.  This worried us a little as we were not sure what to expect.  In the event, Jack chose ‘Hope’ and Boroka ‘Grace’.

A recent incident

Very recently, a 999 call was made to the South-East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) and the caller was directed to the nearest Public Access Defibrillator and given the box code.  Here the situation became rather confused as it seems the shop didn’t have any information about the PAD and no one knew where the key was.  I cannot say exactly what happened, but suffice to say the caller was unable to gain access to the defibrillator.  This was not good and I will come back to that.  The most important thing in this case being the outcome as far as the patient was concerned.

The 999 call resulted in a First Responder being activated.  Luckily, he was very close to the patient and arrived on site within 3 minutes to start care and stabilisation.  He was joined by an ambulance, and then 2 cars; one with a Critical Care Paramedic, and the other with a Clinical Team Leader. Therefore, the patient was attended by a highly skilled team. Sadly, and despite this, the patient did not survive.

Now back to the PAD box.  The first question is, why do we lock them.  The answer is quite simple. As a charity, we can obtain a smart defibrillator for a little over £800, but on the open market you would have to pay over £1000.  I regret to say that if they were not in a secure cabinet they would disappear very quickly.  Also, as they need to be available 24/7 they have to be outside and visible. As you can see from the picture, a PAD is in a large yellow box which has a key pad used to enter the code to open it.  They are sited at the East Beach Evangelical Church, The Fisherman’s Joy, St Wilfrid’s Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Coop, the Fire Station and the Selsey Centre.

When a 999 call is made, the SECAmb call-taker will assess the situation and, if a defibrillator is required, the rescuer will be told the location of the nearest PAD and the code to open it.  The line to the call-taker should remain open so that any further advice can be given.  The defibrillator is a smart unit and will instruct the rescuer on its use.  The call-taker will give guidance as required.

Situations such as that which occurred recently can be very stressful and confusing.  The only advice we can give is try to stay calm and keep in contact with the SECAmb call taker. Easy to say, but hard to do.

We are aiming to do demonstrations around the town and these will be advertised in good time.  The last demonstration was given on Life Boat day.

And then there was another one…..

A new Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) has been installed at the Fire Station in the High Street, Selsey.

…….and we hope to install two more in the near future.

If someone is taken ill and you dial 999 or 112, the South-East Coast Ambulance call-taker will assess the situation. If a defibrillator is required, the rescuer will be told where the nearest PAD is situated and the access code.

New PAD

A Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) has just been installed at St Wilfrid’s Roman Catholic Church and we hope to fit 2 further installations in the coming month.  For information PADs are situated in Selsey at the following locations:

East Beach Evangelical Church, St Wilfrid’s Roman Catholic Church, The Fisherman’s Joy, the Southern Cooperative and the Selsey Centre.

Thank You !

We have received a great deal of support from businesses within the town, but likewise we have received amazing support from residents of the town as well.  Here is an example.  When Brian Ridley retired, he set himself the task of learning to play the flute and he succeeded.  Now he is ‘tooting his flute’ and raising funds to make sure we can continue to operate the scheme.  He is limited to warmer weather as his flute doesn’t like the cold!!