Rother Responders hard at work

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The August bank holiday in Rye wasn’t all about jazz and blues. On Saturday August 26 there was an open invitation to the delightful garden of 11 High Street to meet volunteers from Rother Responders and East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service who gave a demonstration on how to resuscitate people who have stopped breathing by using an automated external defibrillator (AED).

An AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses if a person is having a life-threatening cardiac arrest.

Crowborough town councillor and volunteer Dave Neeves (pictured) demonstrated what you need to do if you come across someone who has stopped breathing.

Firstly you need to assess the danger to ensure you aren’t walking into a hazardous situation. That done, before you check to see if they are breathing, lightly shake them and talk to them. If there is no response and they have stopped breathing, dial 999 and start to manually pump the heart area in sets of 30 repetitions. You don’t need a phone signal to get through to 999 and they will be able to tell you where the nearest AED is located.

Manual compressions are unlikely revive someone who has stopped breathing so it is important that an AED shock is delivered. The AED machines are easy to use and give vocal instructions on where to place the shock pads and how long the interval needs to be between shocks.

AEDs can be found in prominent places across Rye including one on Lion Street, attached to the side of the George Hotel; one outside the leisure centre entrance off The Grove; and another on the substation in Valley Park.

For more information on AED devices or to attend the next training demonstration, check out Rother Responders website.

Photo: Kevin McCarthy

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