Grant helps Barrow charity buy lifesaving equipment

You said…   Help us with funds to provide a potentially lifesaving service on Walney Island.

We did…   Provided a social care grant of £2,592 to fund three new defibrillator training machines. 

A Barrow charity has received funds to buy lifesaving equipment through a social care grant from Cumbria County Council's local committee for Barrow.

Walney Island Community First Responders are a team of volunteers trained to give potentially lifesaving treatment following a 999 call until an ambulance crew is able to reach the scene.

The group has been awarded the £2,592 grant which has helped them buy three electronic defibrillator training machines that have been used to allow volunteers to get to grips with a low voltage machine before working up to the real thing.

The team provides a vital service on Walney Island due to the area’s unique geography. Although the North West Ambulance Service, which trains the First Responders, meet their target of responding to all emergencies on Walney within eight minutes, the First Responder team will be a big advantage to residents, saving vital minutes in an emergency.

The new team has recently undergone an intensive 14 week training course with the ambulance service and 19 volunteers are now fully qualified first responders and are responding to emergencies on the island. 

The funding has also enabled the group to buy gloves, masks, high visibility clothing and antibacterial wipes and has been bolstered by grants and donations from a range of other local organisations and residents.

Chris Fagan, from the First Responder team, said: "Very often the role we will play in an emergency will be to reassure the person. We can also provide oxygen and in extreme cases perform CPR or use the defibrillator to restart a patient’s heart.

"The grant has been an enormous boost for the group. The equipment we need isn’t cheap but it can help save lives."