8 May 2009, 09/97
Life-saving measures
to get your heart going at leisure centres
Leisure centre staff could
help you survive a cardiac arrest as they have recently been
trained to use life-saving equipment.
West Lancashire Community
Leisure Trust has jointly funded five defibrillators in conjunction
with the British Heart Foundation, which are machines that can
restart the heart by giving an electric shock.
Research shows that when
someone has a cardiac arrest defibrillation needs to be prompt. For
every minute that passes the chances of survival decrease by
14%.
So to help save lives, the
Trust has purchased this vital equipment and has trained a number
of its staff to use the machines safely and quickly.
Bill Lloyd, Chairman of the
West Lancashire Community Leisure Trust, said: "This is another
great example of the Trust working for the benefit of the
community. Research shows that applying a controlled shock within
five minutes of a person collapsing actually provides the best
possible outcome so investing in these defibrillators is
potentially saving lives!"
Not only will this initiative
benefit customers but also the wider community based around the
centres at Banks, Burscough, Skelmersdale, Nye Bevan and Park
Pool.
Dave Tilleray, Executive
Manager for Community Services, added: "Public buildings like
leisure centres are the type of place where a person could easily
have a cardiac arrest and, whilst it is very rare for this to
happen, it’s good to see that the Trust has bought this life-saving
machinery that will benefit the community. My thanks to the staff
who have been really enthusiastic about the initiative and were
happy to be trained to use the equipment."
There is a defibrillator at each of the five centres. To
find out more, contact: Park Pool, Park Road, Ormskirk (01695
576325); Nye Bevan Pool, Southway, Skelmersdale (01695 727111);
Burscough Fitness and Racquets Leisure Centre, Bobby Langton Way,
Burscough (01704 895266); Banks Leisure Centre, Greaves Hall
Avenue, Banks (01704 212970); and Skelmersdale Sports Centre,
Digmoor Road, Skelmersdale (01695 723777).
For a full list of activities at the centres, visit our
sports centre
pages or www.westlancsleisure.com
(external link).
Related information