Box explorer adds life-saving equipment to adventure kit (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)
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Box explorer adds life-saving equipment to adventure kit
3:22pm Friday 1st June 2012 in Wiltshire
John Cavanagh hands over the Automated External Defibrillator to David Hempleman-Adams
A Box-based explorer has added a vital component to the kit he uses on his adventures – a life saving Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
David Hempleman-Adams took delivery of the machine from St John Ambulance on Thursday.
An AED can save lives in the minutes after someone suffers a cardiac arrest as the machine shocks the heart back into action and can be operated by anyone, regardless of the level of their first aid knowledge.
Mr Hempleman-Adams is one of the few to have completed the Adventurer's Grand Slam, has conquered the four main poles, and climbed the highest peaks in each of the seven continents.
The explorer, who is chairman of the Council of St John Ambulance Wiltshire, explained why he decided to buy an AED, which will make up part of his kit on his future adventures.
"My work takes me to the remotest parts of the world and you never know when you may need a defibrillator.
"It’s a small piece of kit that is easily used and could mean the difference between a life lost and life saved.
"I believe that first aid is something everyone should learn, not just explorers.
"You may need medical assistance wherever you are - at home, at work, up Mount Everest or on your way to the North Pole."
John Cavanagh, regional director for St John Ambulance in the South West, said: "St John Ambulance believes that no one should die because of a lack of first aid when they need it.
"Defibrillators are an important part of first aid and we encourage any business or organisation to follow David’s example and invest in one."
In the UK, one person dies every six minutes from a heart attack and as many as one in three will die before they reach hospital.
For each minute that passes without defibrillation, the chances of survival fall by up to 10 per cent.
Anyone interested in purchasing an AED can call St John Ambulance on 0844 324 5535.
