Stenhousemuir-based defibrillator almost used twice in 12 hours on man and woman

The life-saving equipment, which is stored at The Valley Shop and accessible 24/7, was deployed when a man required CPR treatment in Ladeside Crescent last night (Wednesday).

A woman, who lives nearby, called 999 before rushing into the store and grabbing the defibrillator.

Fortunately, an ambulance crew had arrived to attend to the man by the time the resident returned to the scene.

Bought via a crowdfunding initiative led by Keeping Larbert and Stenhousemuir Beautiful (KLSB), the defibrillator was again taken from The Valley Shop this morning when an elderly woman required assistance.

John McMorran, KLSB chairman, said: “It was used in Ladeside Crescent at roughly 9pm last night.

“It was installed a couple of weeks ago and we were all hoping there would never need to be a use for it.

“We had a message from the shop owner saying it had been deployed. I got word later that the ambulance service turned up within a few minutes of the call being made and they took over, so there was no need to use it but if they were delayed in any manner, it would’ve had to have been used.

“I don’t know the man’s age but, from what I understand, he’s recovering well.

“A local resident went in and dialled 999 and the emergency services told her there was a box available at the shop. By the time she got back, the emergency services arrived.

“Forth Valley First Responders put it back in the cabinet last night.

“I’ve got word it was almost used again this morning.

“The person who took it said that it was for his grandmother but they didn’t call 999. I’m assuming that she maybe had a bit of a turn and the grandson panicked.”

The success of its fundraising campaign, launched this summer, means KLSB now has four defibrillators, with plans in place to add a fifth.

As well as The Valley Shop-based machine, a defibrillator is this week being installed inside Stenhouse TOA Taxis’ office in Main Street, while another will be placed outside Hollie & Co in Antonshill.

The group’s volunteers are trying to find a suitable location in Larbert for the fourth defibrillator.

KLSB said the idea to fund a 24/7 defibrillator in the area had been in the pipeline for some time, however, members cranked the pace up a notch after watching on in horror as Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during his nation’s opening Euro 2020 match in June.

A defibrillator, which gives a high-energy electric shock to the heart, helped to save the 29-year-old’s life.

While the Stenhousemuir area already boasts two defibrillators, KLSB felt the lack of an all-hours piece of equipment needed addressed.

John added: “Everything was done through crowdfunding.

“We raised over £5000 to buy the defibrillators. We’ve arranged to have CPR and defibrillator training done.

“We’ll have several classes on that over the next four to six weeks at our community hub at 17 King Street, Stenhousemuir. The dates and times are to be arranged.”

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.

https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/nord/dm/FKH/V