Community of Life Savers Make a Difference

The community of Chard in Somerset have been busy fundraising to supply defibrillators for the town which could literally be a life saver should someone suffer a cardiac arrest.

Members from Chard Defib Group overseeing some first aid training with the local Girls Brigade. Dave Orchard holding the defib kit

Dave Orchard, one of our technicians who has now retired, is an active member of Chard Defibrillator Group who supplies the defibrillators for busy areas like schools, shopping centres and playing fields.

Dave explains: “The original plan was to fundraise for four defibrillators, but thanks to the generous support from the local community and businesses, including my own previous employer Western Power Distribution, we’ve now installed seven kits around the town.

“They’re simple to use and alongside the installations we have also arranged training for local groups like the Girls Brigade.”

Tracy Carr added: “The local community has done some amazing work which we were happy to support. It’s reported that for every minute it takes for the defibrillator to reach someone and deliver a shock, their chance of survival reduces by up to 10%!”