Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Village in push for defibrillator Villagers working towards target figure of £2000
Plains residents are fundraising to install an automatic external defibrillator (AED) in the centre of the village.
Members of the village’s Community Futures have begun collecting for the medical item, which can be used to check heart rhythms and deliver vital shock treatment to someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest.
They have so far raised £450 towards the target figure of £2000 needed to purchase the lifesaving equipment, and are asking local businesses and residents to consider contributing.
Plains Community Futures chair George McCutcheon said: “We decided that we’d put our time and effort into a worthy cause.
“The quicker a casualty has access to a defibrillator after they’ve suffered a heart attack, the much better chance of survival.
“We’re looking to have a defibrillator placed in a secure cabinet, to be placed on the wall of the community centre on Main Street – and if any person needed access, they’d be given a code by ambulance control when contacting them.”
Group secretary Elaine Grant added: “We hope many people will see the benefits of having a community defibrillator – we’ve been well supported by our community but still have a long way to go.”
Donations to the fund can be made via the group’s fundraising page on Just Giving, or by making out a cheque to “Plains Community Futures”, which can then be handed in at Sinclair’s Pharmacy on Main Street.
Earlier this summer, Airdrie and Coatbridge’s community first responders highlighted the importance of AEDs and launched a campaign to ensure that the location of all devices are registered with the Scottish Ambulance Service.
They want to ensure that the lifesaving equipment is made immediately and easily accessible to all members of the public in an emergency – and won the backing of local charity the Kieran McDade Foundation, which donates AEDs to sports clubs; as well as of Monklands MSPs Fulton MacGregor and Alex Neil, and North Lanarkshire Council, who have now said they will register all defibrillators in the authority’s schools, leisure centres and council buildings.
First responder Donna Swanson had told the Advertiser: “AEDs are one of the most important life- saving tools available and can be used by anyone, regardless of medical training.
“It’s great that people are aware of them and putting them in place. They take minutes to register online and doing so could save a life.”
Decided to put our time and effort into a worthy cause