A NEW lifesaving defibrillator has been installed in Llanelli’s Bigyn ward as part of an ongoing campaign to fight back against the ‘deadly disaster’ of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.
Town councillor Shaun Greaney, who has personally part-funded two defibrillators in the town, said the council had installed the new defibrillator and case outside Glenalla Community Centre on a post previously used for a community waste bin.
‘The council’s initiative to increase and improve defibrillators in our town will help combat the deadly disaster of what I think are appalling survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Llanelli, which are similar to those across Wales – currently less than 5 per cent,’ he said.
The defibrillator drive comes as the Welsh Government introduced a new purple category for those suffering from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
A red category will be kept for life-threatening emergencies, those at high risk of cardiac or respiratory arrests, including illnesses and trauma.
Welsh Health Minister Jeremy Miles has described the move as ‘decisive action to save more lives.’
Councillor Greaney, a member of the campaigning Save Our Services Prince Philip Action Network (SOSPPAN) welcomed the move.
‘It means those with cardiac arrests, who have the most urgent needs, are prioritised over people with less critical problems like breathing difficulties, helping ambulance teams reach people with the most urgent needs more quickly,’ he said.
Councillor Jan Williams said the new defibrillator at Glenalla Hall in Alban Road was ‘a vital aid in an emergency’.
She said it made the Bigyn area ‘much safer’ and would ‘give comfort’ for local residents.
County and town councillor for Bigyn, Phil Warlow, said: ‘The new defibrillator is an item of First Aid should anyone in the area experience sudden cardiac arrest.
Its purpose is to restore a normal heart rhythm.
‘The Town Council is working extremely hard to get all areas within the town covered by this extremely important lifesaving equipment.’
The defibrillator and case were donated to the town council by the Wales Ambulance Service Trust and the county council approved its location on the post previously used as a waste bin.
