Over the last year or so, the Parish Council has been researching the idea of an automated external defibrillator, or AED, in Crudwell. You may have seen yellow boxes on the walls of public buildings in nearby villages such as Sherston and Kemble, and we thought Crudwell ought to have the facility as well.
An AED is an electronic box of tricks which can help restart the heart of someone who has suffered a major heart problem. Today’s AEDs are designed to be used by ordinary people, and provide either a video screen, or spoken commands, to tell you what to do.
We are still working with a number of different organisations to sort out which AED to buy and where to put it, as well as important things like insurance, but we hope to have it installed by Christmas. In the meantime, if you have comments, or you have previously used an AED, please tell us by using the comment form below – or post on our Facebook account. And if you do find yourself in an emergency situation, don’t wait: Dial 999!