Decision:
Dave and Arline Hursey, DiPPS Charitable Trust, thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee regarding the work of the Trust.
The Chairman thanked Mr and Mrs Hursey for their presentation.
IT WAS AGREED: That the Communities Manager be requested to:
(i) Circulate contact details of DiPPS to all Members of this Committee by email:
(ii) Liaise with DiPPS regarding applying for grant funding both from this Committee and other sources;
(iii) Liaise with DiPPS regarding contacting local schools and sports facilities in order to offer their services.
REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community.
Minutes:
Dave and Arline Hursey, DiPPS Charitable Trust, thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee regarding the work of the Trust.
Mrs Hursey informed Members that DiPPS was a small, family run charity that was set up in memory of their son and for which they did not receive any payment.
Their son was a healthy 18 year old who enjoyed work and played sports who passed away unexpectedly and with no warning in his sleep.
Cardiac arrest can affect people of all ages and fitness and the aim of the year old charity was to place defibrillators in public places, so that more lives could be saved.
Mr Hursey advised that 12 to 15 young people, aged under 25 years old, died from heart disease related causes each week.
It was a common misconception that heart attacks and cardiac arrest were the same thing, a heart attack was a blockage in the veins that stopped blood getting to the heart and was likely to cause a part of the heart muscle to die, whereas cardiac arrest was an electrical failure in the heart that caused it to stop pumping blood around the body.
When someone’s heart stopped beating it was vital that they received CPR whilst the defibrillator was retrieved and the two together would increase the chances of survival. Every minute without CPR or defibrillation reduced survival rates by 7 – 10 percent, if an ambulance took several minutes to arrive this could mean the difference between surviving or not.
Mrs Hursey explained that defibrillators were a piece of equipment that gave a shock to the heart in order to put it into a normal rhythm. These defibrillators were designed to be use by a lay person and modern machines tell you what steps to take and how to use the machine effectively and had safeguards so that it could not be used on a person whose heart was beating.
Some people had expressed concern about possible litigation if they used these machines, Mrs Hursey advised that no-one had ever been sued in England for providing first aid.
Mr Hursey informed Members that defibrillators were becoming more prevalent in public places, particularly in villages, where it may take longer for an ambulance to arrive and are usually in locked boxes that can be unlocked with a code given by the ambulance service.
The Charity’s first public access defibrillator was placed in Knebworth Recreation Ground approximately one month ago although they had placed a total of 12 defibrillators in the community so far in places such as schools and sports centres.
The public had shown a lot of interest in the scheme and they had been able to gain publicity through the Evening Standard and Three Counties Radio so far.
Mr and Mrs Hursey were continually planning and undertaking events including presentations and fundraising events, such as a football tournament and golfing day.
Mr Hursey concluded by reiterating the aims of the Charity as:
· To raise awareness;
· Education;
· Placement of defibrillators;
· Support communities to fundraise to get their own defibrillator.
Members asked where they were based, how much each machine cost and whether they would be happy to give presentations, training and support to Parish Councils interested in having a defibrillator in their area
Mrs Hursey informed Members that they were based in Welwyn Garden City, but were happy to travel to any area that was interested.
Mr Hursey advised that each machine cost £795 plus VAT and the cabinets were £600 each, although schools were currently receiving some funding from the Government. They were happy to give presentations and awareness sessions to any group interested in having defibrillator.
A Member advised the Committee that there had been some issues regarding the discussions that took place prior to the defibrillator being place at Knebworth Recreation Ground, mainly regarding the most appropriate place to sit the machine, where it would be least likely to be vandalised and the likelihood of it being used to save a life.
Mrs Hursey agreed that they placed the machines in the hope that they would never be needed in much the same way as fire extinguishers were placed in buildings.
The Chairman thanked Mr and Mrs Hursey for their presentation.
IT WAS AGREED: That the Communities Manager be requested to:
(i) Circulate contact details of DiPPS to all Members of this Committee by email:
(ii) Liaise with DiPPS regarding applying for grant funding both from this Committee and other sources;
(iii) Liaise with DiPPS regarding contacting local schools and sports facilities in order to offer their services.
REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community.