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The Property Maintenance People

Public Access Defibrillator at PPM Offices

PPM have brought together a group of 17 other Cumbrian businesses to raise £1674.00 for a defibrillator to be installed at their business park in Carlisle and arranged free CPR and defibrillator training with the North West Ambulance Service.

The North West Ambulance service held a free training session for 30 people at the Parkhouse Business Park, after the Cumberland Building Society, who also contributed towards the machine, kindly offered their training room for the session.

Gordon McGregor, Director of PPM explains “we wanted to install a public access defibrillator as a direct result of one being installed on the business estate where our Penrith depot is located. North West Ambulance Service came along and carried out the training and informed us of the statistics on how these machines increase the survival rates of somebody in cardiac arrest. To be honest it shocked me and I wanted to offer the same protection to our Carlisle employees”

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“Wherever possible we try to give back to the communities that we work within and in this case it was our employees, the local business community and passers-by. It is a small price to pay to potentially be able to save somebody’s life. Luckily other businesses on the estate here were also keen to get involved and donate towards the defib”

Andrea Brough from Cumbria Cottages, said: “Since we have over 30 staff working for Cumbrian Cottages alone, as well as the other people in the building, it is important to ensure that we are equipped if anyone should suddenly fall ill. A defibrillator is potentially a life-saving piece of equipment. Hopefully, we won’t have to use it but it is reassuring to know it is there and Cumbrian Cottages as a company were more than happy to contribute to the cost.”

Andrea Crosbie from the Cumberland Building Society, said: “The Cumberland is delighted to support the initiative to install a defibrillator and eco pad cabinet on Parkhouse Business Park. As well as helping raise funds to purchase the equipment, the Society provided facilities at its head office to allow members of the North West Ambulance Service to train over 40 first aiders from local businesses on the use of the life-saving machinery, which was well received by all taking part”

The Public Access Defibrillator and Ecopad Cabinet from Green Urban, is an automated device which gives verbal instructions so it can be easily used in an emergency.

Defibrillators significantly increase the chance of survival in the event of cardiac arrest. After cardiac arrest, every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces a person’s chance of survival by 10 per cent (British Heart Foundation). CPR, when used alongside an automated external defibrillator (AED) raises the survival rate from 5% to 50%.

Stewart Williamson, owner of Atlantic and Pacific House Offices, was very much behind the idea and agreed the cabinet could be installed at Atlantic House and also donated funds for the project. Stewart understood the importance of being able to ensure quick and easy access to a defibrillator for early treatment in the event of cardiac arrest and was eager to provide this for the tenants in his buildings. Defibrillators belong in the work place and can mean the difference between life and death.

Representatives from the firms who funded the defibrillator attended the training and included Baines Wilson, Bluefin, BPD Zenith Ltd, Burcher Jennings, Cumberland Building Society, Donleys Ltd, Handelsbanken, Hargreave Hale Ltd, Keepmoat, OM, Paramount Legal Costs Ltd, Walsingham, Audit Systems Ltd, Stabilus Ltd, Liquid Associates Ltd and Cumbrian Cottages.