A DEFIBRILLATOR helped to save a person’s life in Kinmel Bay just hours after it had been set up in the village.
On December 21, the apparatus was used by the emergency services to tend to a young person from the area at about 8.30pm, having only been made live at 6.15pm that day.
It has been put in place on an outside wall of the community house - owned by housing association Cartrefi Conwy – on Chester Avenue.
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A defibrillator is a device that gives a high energy shock to the heart of someone who is in cardiac arrest to restore a normal heartbeat.
According to statistics, if a defibrillator is used within the first minute of a victim collapsing, the survival rate can be as high as 90 per cent.
The teenager who required the use of a defibrillator following the medical emergency asked to stay anonymous, but a family member thanked those who helped to fund and install it.
They said: “As a family, we are incredibly grateful to have been able to access a community defibrillator so quickly and easily. Without it, it could have been a very different outcome.
“We would like to thank everyone involved in providing this vital equipment, and to reassure anyone that needs to use one just how simple they are to use.”
Towyn & Kinmel Bay Town Council has overseen an extensive roll-out of community defibrillators across the region.
Information on the defibrillators can be found on the town council’s website, but in case of emergency, call 999 and you will be directed to your closest and provided with a code to access.
Cllr Kay Redhead (Kinmel Bay ward) said some residents of Chester Avenue had requested a defibrillator, which led to the town council and Cartrefi Conwy agreeing to match-fund the installation of one.
She said: “I can’t put into words just how proud I am to be a part of the roll-out of these defibrillators.
“I’d like to thank the town council for the roll-out and maintenance, and for all of the local businesses that have match-funded or funded their own.
“The story has only come to light in the last few days when we did our checks on the defibrillators. This one was missing, and a Facebook appeal reached the family that had used it, and they got in touch with me.
“We are looking at doing some community training on how to use them, possibly at Chester Avenue Community House.”
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