A CARE home in Jersey has installed a new publicly available defibrillator for its visitors, residents and members of the community to use.
Fabien Amy, director of Les Hoûmets care home in Gorey Village, said: “It became apparent that there isn’t a readily accessible defibrillator in the Village itself.”
He said he know of one person who was saved by a defibrillator and another who died but “could potentially have been saved by a defibrillator”.
“Obviously, the one who survived is great, but the other one was pretty catastrophic.”
With that in mind, he sought to have one installed. “It was all quite straightforward,” he said.
The installation follows increased awareness around Jersey’s disorganised defibrillator network.
Currently, there is no central registration system to track where the life-saving devices are or whether they are ready to use.
Mr Amy said that in his profession, he understands the “importance and difference a defibrillator can make” and having one is a “no-brainer”.
He added: “It’s a nice thing to do to give back to the community that we’re a part of.”
The new defibrillator is in a location readily available to visitors and easy to find if an incident occurs in the Village.
Mr Amy said: “I think it’s really important to look out for each other where possible. By having potentially life-saving equipment available and accessible to anyone in the village, the wider community, friends, visitors, guests, whoever that might be, we all have a part to play in the overall benefit of society.”
