A volunteer group which supports the North West Ambulance Service with emergency calls has a new vital piece of equipment in its toolkit after construction and regeneration provider Equans donated a defibrillator to the team.
Sedbergh Community First Responders are a group of trained volunteers that provide assistance to paramedics as and when needed and are equipped with a range of tools to provide basic life support whilst waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
To make sure they have the latest equipment at their disposal to carry on their life-saving work, Equans funded the purchase of a new defibrillator for the team to use.
Des Metcalfe, deputy team leader at Sedbergh Community First Responders, said: “For Equans to come forward and offer their help by providing a new defibrillator is not only a significant investment for the team but is literally a life-changing asset for the local community.”
Organised by Senior Quantity Surveyor Wendy Gibson, the donation to the team is part of Equans commitment to the community as the company continues with the construction of an £11.5 million scheme in the town which will provide 49 much-needed affordable homes on behalf of housing associations Broadacres and South Lakes Housing.
All the homes, which will be heated using Zero Carbon Air Source Heat Pumps to reduce the environmental impact of the properties, will be available for affordable rent, shared ownership, and private open market sale once construction has completed.
Jon Walklett, site manager at Sedbergh for Equans, said: “Supporting the Sedbergh Community First Responder Team with the donation of a defibrillator is the least we could do to help a really important group within the town who give up their own time to provide crucial and often life-saving support in conjunction with the North West Ambulance Service.
“The donation is very much within Equans’ community ethos – we want to make a positive difference everywhere we work by supporting community groups and good causes. While I hope the defibrillator doesn’t need to be used too frequently, I’m hopefully we can give people extra piece of mind that this important bit of kit is available.”
