Three pieces of vital lifesaving equipment have been placed on Blackpool promenade to help visitors who need emergency aid.
A defibrillator has been installed on the outside of the Lifeboat Station on Central Promenade along with a rapid body-cooling vest, while a second vest has also been put in the Tourist Information Centre at Festival House.
Both items can be used quickly and easily by the public during an emergency situation while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
Money for the defibrillator was raised by local doctor Golda Parker, whose father Georgie passed away last year. Following his death, donations were made to the Adam Appeal in order to supply a defibrillator on the Promenade to help visitors who suffer from a cardiac arrest.
The defibrillator is easy to use and provides instructions to the user on how to safely operate it.
At the same time, two CAERvests have been provided for the Promenade by the Helicopter Emergency Service Equipment charity, which can help cool the core body temperature in the event of a cardiac arrest or heatstroke.
The CAERvests can be put over the body and connected up with an attached cooling fluid to reduce the temperature of the patient and chill the body.
Daniel Moores, from the Helicopter Emergency Service Equipment charity, added: “CAERvest is an unpowered, portable, core body cooling device for the emergency treatment of heatstroke or cardiac arrest. It is used by paramedics, first responders and emergency departments to provide rapid core body cooling to patients suffering with heatstroke or cardiac arrest.
“After cardiac arrest just when you may think everything is okay, the body temperature begins to rise which can cause severe brain impairment. That’s why it’s so vital to cool the body. The device is easy and intuitive to use and requires no specialist training, that means even the public can safely use this in an emergency.”
Cllr Fred Jackson from Blackpool Council, added: “Millions of people visit Blackpool Promenade every single year so it is extremely important that we have the right lifesaving equipment in place should the worst happen.
“As a council we have been happy to help this equipment be put in place, and to host the CAERvest at Festival House, but this has only happened because of generous fund-raisers donating the money to help supply the equipment.
“Hopefully, nobody will need to use any of this equipment, however it is extremely important to make sure that is available to help save a life when the time comes.”
Keith Horrocks MBE, volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager at RNLI Blackpool said “As a charity that exists to save lives, we were thrilled to be able to help with the installation of a new defibrillator in Blackpool. The central location of our building will mean that help is close by in the event of an emergency on the promenade.”
