Leading pet retailer and gym install life-saving heart devices across North Wales
PetPlace installs seven new defibrillators across its stores.
Save a Life Cymru (SaLC) is delighted to announce that Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) have been fitted to the outside of all seven PetPlace and LVL5 Gyms sites in North Wales, and these potentially life-saving devices have been made available 24/7 to the public in the event of an out of hospital cardiac arrest.
The PADs have been installed at PetPlace’s headquarters in Kinmel Bay, its stores at Abergele, Llangefni, Mold, Ruthin and Gledrid (Oswestry) as well as LVL5 Gyms in Llandudno.
Each one has been registered on The Circuit – The National Defibrillator Network. This will ensure that the 999-call taker will know if a defibrillator is close-by and available for a bystander to use in an emergency.
To support the PAD installation, SaLC North Wales Community Coordinator Tomos Hughes has provided cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillator awareness training sessions to PetPlace managers and staff.
Between April 2020 and March 2021, the Welsh Ambulance Service responded to 6,585 Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrests of which, 2,791 resulted in a resuscitation attempt. A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone of any age and in any place. Early CPR and defibrillation within 3–5 min of collapse can double or even triple the chance of survival.
PetPlace and LVL5 Gyms owner Sion Pritchard revealed they have invested in locked boxes for the public to access 24/7 when they are directed to them by the 999 call-taker.
“Given the locations of our stores across North Wales and our position as a responsible retailer, this was a natural step for us,” he added.
“Our place at the heart of communities across the region is important, and as we are visited by so many customers every day, we are pleased to be able to support them and be on hand should they need treatment, having participated in vital lifesaving and defibrillator awareness sessions.
“Our staff are already trained in first aid but now could help save the life of someone suffering a cardiac arrest. We hope we never have to use these defibrillators but having them here will hopefully give people peace of mind.”
Save a Life Cymru, is the strategic lead in Wales dedicated to improving out of hospital cardiac arrest survival rates, advocating for CPR and defibrillation within communities and urging individuals to learn or refresh these lifesaving skills.
Len Nokes, Chairman of Save a Life Cymru, said: “I am delighted that Save a Life Cymru has helped PetPlace and LVL5 Gyms to install life-saving defibrillators on all their sites across North Wales.
“We want to make sure that every person has the best chance of surviving an out of hospital cardiac arrest – so educating people on spotting the signs, calling 999 and starting CPR and using a defibrillator is crucial to increasing survival.
“Tomos Hughes, our Community Coordinator in North Wales, has been instrumental in supporting them with a CPR and defibrillator awareness session and supporting the company to register the defibrillators on The Circuit.”
If a cardiac arrest happens, call 999. The call taker will tell you what to do, talk you through how to do CPR and direct someone else to the nearest registered defibrillator and they will also send an ambulance crew.
You can find out more about CPR and defibrillation training at https://executive.nhs.wales/SaLC
You can also learn CPR with the BHF in 15 minutes for free here:
Learn CPR in 15 minutes | RevivR | BHF – BHF
