Camposol community groups join first responders FAST to provide defibrillators for Commercial Centres

Community groups join Mazarrón Councillor for Camposol to inaugurate defibrillators in Commercial Centres on Sectors A and B

On Thursday December 12, the Camposol groups involved in the placement of defibrillators (AED) in the two Camposol Commercial Centres attended an inauguration of the two state-of-the-art machines.

Present at the inauguration were Mazarrón Councillor for Camposol and Healthcare, Carmen Navarro, who arranged for the legal and official paperwork and approvals including Murcia Health Authority; Kevin McCalister, President of the Making a Difference charity who paid for the two defibrillators at a cost of 3,000 euros; Suzanne Reid, President of FAST, along with a group of FAST responders (FAST organises the training courses to enable people to be able to use the defibrillators); and Julie Townsend, President of the Camposol Business Association who liaised with Mazarrón Council and organised the placement of the machine in the B Sector commercial centre.

Others involved in the provision of the defibrillators are Phase Two Charity, who provided a significant amount of funds towards the training of staff from bars and restaurants to use the machines, and Insignia Graphics, who made both signs free of charge.

The defibrillators are situated on the wall outside the Compusurf office on B Sector commercial centre and on the wall outside Cat’s Bar in the Sector A commercial centre. The machines, as per regional law, are contained within a custom-made locked cabinet with the key located in an adjacent combination-locked box, the combination of which is known to all the FAST trained and authorised people able to use it. 

Inside the box is the defibrillator pack. Prompt access to this equipment is essential to give anyone suffering a heart attack the very best chance of survival and opportunity of a full recovery.

The defibrillator itself is an automatic external defibrillator, which when operated and the pads applied to the affected person, firstly analyses the patient’s condition to ascertain if an electrical charge is viable. Once this is confirmed, the machine will move on to the next stage, prompting the user when to apply the charge or charges. If the patient’s condition is not treatable by electric charge the machine will not advance to this stage.

In the event of anyone witnessing someone in distress inside or in the vicinity of either commercial centre the following protocol should immediately be followed:

Speak with the nearest business owner or member of staff to call for qualified assistance or call FAST on 0034 868 487 015

All the trained and qualified people are part of a WhatsApp group and will receive an alert with the location of the incident.

There are currently over 50 people trained by FAST and qualified to use the machine this number is expected to rise as more people come forward to be trained in the use of the defibrillators.

FAST are inviting people to come forward and learn valuable life-saving skills – CPR, how to treat someone choking and importantly how to alert the emergency services. This falls short of the full defib/first aid training but is an essential precursor to the use of the defibrillators. Places are restricted and will be booked on a first come, first served basis.

Booking is essential. Please email fast_trainer2@outlook.com to reserve your place on the course on Friday January 17, Friday February 7 or Friday March 14 from 2pm to 4pm at the Social Centre, Sector B, Camposol.

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