Sussex Police donate £500 towards purchase of life-saving equipment in Southwater

The application for the grant was made by Southwater Community First Responders (CFR), which is a team of volunteers who provide emergency medical support to the local community. They are trained to respond in conjunction with South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb).

They provide immediate care to those who have fallen ill. In addition to this, the team maintain a network of PADs across the parish and provide Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)/PAD training.

The cheque was presented on Friday, March 18 at Southwater Community Police Office. In attendance were PCSO Damian Cecil and Southwater CFR Trustees Pauline Flores-Moore, Councillor Claire Vickers (Horsham District Councillor for Southwater North), Tony Bull and Rob Warde.

Southwater Community First Responders is a registered charity and is largely self-funding.

Trustee Pauline Flores-Moore, who applied for the grant, said: “The money will be used to fund further Public Access Defibrillators in the Parish. At present we have 13 and are actively looking for additional locations.”

For every minute that someone is in cardiac arrest without receiving CPR and having a defibrillator used on them, their chance of survival decreases by 10 per cent.

A defibrillator gives a jolt of energy to the heart, which can help restore the heart’s rhythm, and get it beating normally again.

The device is easy to use and does not require training, but it could make the difference between life and death.

PCSO Damian Cecil said: “We are delighted to support a charity which provides a vital service. I am sure the donation from the Police Property Act Fund will be of benefit everyone in the local community.”

The Police Property Act Fund (PPAF) is a pot of money made up from the sale of found property and from property confiscated by order of the court and then sold. Further information can be found here.

For more information or to find out how you can support the organisation go to the Southwater Community Responders website.

You will also find a map of all the Public Access Defibrators in the parish.

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