Bishop's Castle fire crews new life-saving kit

8:30am Friday 3rd October 2008

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LIFE-saving medical equipment has been fitted to the fire appliance at Bishops Castle fire station.

The defibrillators have been installed as part of a countywide campaign so that firefighters are able to give emergency treatment to people at life-threatening incidents until ambulance crews take over.

Councillor Stuart West, chairman of the Shropshire and Wrekin Fire Authority, believes the project will save more lives and praised the British Heart Foundation for providing the equipment and West Midlands Ambulance Service for training county firefighters.

“It will help us to provide the very best first aid care for both the public and our own firefighters at incidents and, ultimately, help us to save more lives,” he said.

“This is a really important service improvement, which we could not have afforded were it not for the generous support of the British Heart Foundation.”

Firefighters at Bishops Castle have just completed their training with the West Midlands Ambulance Service to use the defibrillators, which are used to treat people suffering cardiac arrest. Many people survive because of the immediate use of a defibrillator.

Trauma care packs, including Automatic External Defibrillators, are being put onto 26 of the county’s frontline fire appliances over the next few weeks.

Firefighters at Craven Arms will be fully equipped this month, Church Stretton on October 30 and Clun and Ludlow by mid-November.