Monday, 30 May 2022
- Defibs to be installed across Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire
- Locations requested by community rail partnerships and station adopters
East Midlands Railway (EMR) is to install lifesaving defibrillators across 22 railway stations on its network.
Each defibrillator comes with step-by-step instructions built into the unit which explain how to use it should someone suffer a cardiac arrest.
The computers inside the defibrillators work by analysing people’s heart rhythms to find out whether an electric shock is needed. If required, electrodes then automatically deliver the shock.
Having a defibrillator close when someone suffers a cardiac arrest greatly improves their chances of survival. Indeed, according to the British Heart Foundation, for every minute it takes for a defibrillator to reach someone to deliver the shock needed, chances of survival reduce up to 10%.
The locations of the defibrillators were put forward by station adopters and local community rail partnerships.
Phil Thomas volunteers his time as a station adopter at Radcliffe Station. He said he was delighted that a defibrillator had been installed at his local station.
He said: "The importance of having a defibrillator readily accessible to help someone in an emergency situation is life saving. We are very grateful to EMR for placing a unit at our local station in Radcliffe on Trent adding to the network we have around the village."
Donna Adams, Community Engagement Manager, said: "Each second counts when someone has a cardiac arrest, and with many thousands of people passing through our stations each day, they are ideal places to install a defibrillator.
"We are pleased to be able to contribute to such an important project and bring such vital equipment to communities right across the region we serve."
The units are to be fitted at the following stations:
Belper
Blythe Bridge
Burton On Trent
Chesterfield
Crewe
Derby
Duffield
Kettering
Leicester
Lincoln
Long Eaton
Loughborough
Matlock Bath
Narborough
Nottingham
Radcliffe
Skegness
Tutbury and Hatton
Wellingborough
Whatstandwell
Whitwell
Willington