A fifth potentially life-saving defibrillator has been installed in Annan.
The heart machine, for use in emergencies, went up on the wall outside the Commercial Inn near the Fish Cross this week and pub landlord John Steel said he is “absolutely delighted” with it.
John is also chairman of the Annan Defibrillator Fund Committee which, for almost a decade, has been working hard fundraising to get the town fully kitted out AEDs which are used, in addition to CPR, to save the lives of those suffering cardiac arrest.
Research has shown that deploying a defibrillator within three to five minutes of collapse can increase the chance of survival by up to 70 per cent.
And the committee, with public support, has helped install defibrillators outside The Queensberry Hotel on the High Street, The Station Hotel near the train station, at Atwals store in Springbells Road and at The Spar.
John said: “I am really pleased that we now have five defibrillators in the town with public access and they are making a difference.
“This one was purchased entirely by a generous couple that use the Commercial, who are known to all as Nanna and Richard.
“ They felt that this part of the town needed one and very publicly-spirited gave enough money to buy it, and we are really grateful to them.
“I would also like to thank Boyd Carol for his invaluable assistance in placing it on the wall at The Commercial, as he has with the others. He has given his time for free.”
John said: “We know that the defibrillators are being used in the town for emergencies.
“In the past six months alone they have been taken out of the boxes by the public 16 times – they’ve not always been used because the ambulance crews got their first but it shows that the public know where they are and how to access them properly if they see anyone in trouble.”
He said: “It is important for everyone to know that they must always phone 999 first and, if an ambulance is not immediately available, they will tell you where to go to the nearest defibrillator and give you a code to open the box.
“Do not smash the protective covers on the equipment in an emergency situation.
“Remember, too, that in an emergency if any of these premises are open you can go inside and they can open the cabinet for you.”
