Huncoat: New defibrillators installed

Five potentially lifesaving automatic external defibrillators are being installed in Accrington and Huncoat, with the first one already in place at the gates of Peel Park, at the foot of the Coppice in Accrington. Others will be installed outside the Whittakers Arms Pub on Burnley Road, The Black Bull Pub on Lowergate Road Huncoat, The Railway Pub at Huncoat Railway Station and the Mapleford Nursing Home on the wall facing Bolton Avenue.

The devices, famously used to help Premiership Footballer, Fabrice Muamba, who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during a football game, deliver an electric shock to the heart after it stops pumping blood around the body. Statistics show that over 75,000 lives could be saved each year in the UK by having defibrillators immediately available.

Speaking about the move, paramedic and Huncoat Councillor, Eammon Higgins, said, “It’s fabulous that the first of the defibrillators is now in place. I’m only too aware with my work as a paramedic that sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time and without these machines the survival rate drops 10% for every minute. Sudden cardiac arrest is the world’s biggest killer, with around 140,000 deaths in the UK alone."

He continued; “These state of the art defibrillators have been bought from the North West Ambulance Service, with funds from Huncoat Neighbourhood Management Board and the help of former Cllr Dave Parkins who has been a key player in their installation, thanks to all of them.”

Cllr Higgins concluded, “We’ll be arranging a one hour training course in basic life support and the use of the community defibrillators, which residents are very welcome to attend. It will be delivered by NWAS Paramedics and promoted when details are finalised.”