On Tuesday May 5, Rother Responders celebrated the installation of a new public access defibrillator on the external wall of the Welcome Centre in Camber Central Car Park.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by the local Community First Responder (CFR) team, colleagues from Southeast Coast Ambulance Trust and friends from Camber. Caroline Solly, chair of Rother Responders charity, expressed gratitude for the generosity of the local community for making the installation of the defibrillator possible, the 25th that the charity has been able to install within the local area.
This defibrillator is particularly special to the Rother Responders team and Camber community, since it celebrates 18 years of commitment and dedication to the local area by former Community First Responder, Sam Carter. Community First Responders are volunteers trained by the ambulance service to respond to 999 calls, providing emergency medical care and life support before an ambulance crew arrives. Sam retired from the service in December 2024 having volunteered for over 43,000 hours, during which time he attended over 4,500 patients in Camber, Rye and the surrounding area. Thanking Sam, Tracy Pepler, team leader of Rother Responders CFRs, said, “We’re proud to celebrate Sam’s commitment and dedication to our community in this way. A defibrillator can save the life of someone who is in cardiac arrest and whose heart has stopped. What better tribute to Sam and all his tireless service?”
Sam leaves behind a record of dedication that has quite literally touched thousands of lives.
Image Credits: Kt bruce .
Well done to all those who are part of the team in this area ..
A practice question How long does a defibrillator last. And who is responsible to checking them to see if they are still in good repair.
And how often have they actually been used in our area ?
A defibrillator will last for many years and Rother Responders and team of local volunteers check them on a regular basis, normally every week. We also replace the defibrillator pads and batteries if they get used or when they expire. This costs about £300 each time which the charity funds through the generosity of local donations.
The defibrillators in our area are on the national system that allows the 999 service to see all live available defibrillators and send emergency callers to the nearest machine. The 999 service has directed people to our machines several times in the last 12 months so it is great that we can have such good coverage of the Rother area, not just Rye but surrounding villages.
Thank you Caroline for your comprehensive answer and pleased that they are checked regularly. A huge thank you to those who make a donation to cover these expenses.
Interesting that 999 directed people to the device several times in the area.