HELP – NEW CHAIRMAN NEEDED

The present Chairman of the Selsey Community First Responders will be retiring in April 2019 and a replacement is needed. So:

1.  If you would like to become part of a very valuable local lifesaving organisation
2. If you would like to give some of your time to the Community
3. If you have some experience in committee/administrative work
4. If you would undertake a very rewarding, but unpaid, task

Please contact the present Chairman (Dennis Collins) on 01243 604886 or info@selseyfirstresponders.org for further information.

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!!  

PADs

The SCFRS is now embarking on another ambitious project, namely, to site Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) around Selsey so that no resident is more than 1000 yards away from a PAD. This involves installing secure and heated cabinets containing Automated External Defibrillators at suitable locations throughout the town. Presently there are 2 PADs in Selsey and another one, currently only available for part of the day, will shortly be re-sited in a security cabinet to make it three to which we hope to add 5 more.

New Responder Vans

It has been a busy, but progressive, time for the Selsey Community First Responders Scheme (SCFRS). You may well have seen two new ‘Responder’ vans moving around the town. Well, we have our Town Council to thank for this as their purchase was made possible by a £20,000 grant from the Community Fund. The vans have been fitted out and are now fully operational. The picture of the new vans shows, on the left, Becky White, the Town Clerk and next to her Danny Kelly the Chairman of the SCFRS, together with Responders and representatives of the SCFRS Committee.