> I am also a 1st aider at work, but in our entrance hall we > have a defib I understand there are couple people trained in > the use of it and they have a higher level of 1st aid > knowledge than just a basic at work. (work in London Borough > of Enfield, Civic Centre) > > This is happening more and more I think a lot is down to > speed of travel and the 1st hour which is the crittical hour.
Indeed, I am a "first responder" at work (as we are called now) and am trained to use the defib kit we have at various offices around Newbury. Currently we have to have defib refresher training annually as well as the normal first aid requalification at (I think it's now) every two years (was three). The defib training is VERY straightforward, the machine pretty much tells you what to do and most of the time is spent doing the same CPR stuff that you do in the standard first aid course. A different animal again is the community first responder, as well as the defib kit they carry oxygen and often drugs, are trained to a much greater standard (many are off duty doctors or paramedics) and provide cover to rural areas (normally where they live) when an ambulance would take a long time to get there, this I suspect is the grade of person who attended the scene in the original email. George "Bungle" Eycott
