A life-saving community defibrillator has been installed on the outside of the Crane Electronics building, in Hinckley’s Sketchley Meadows Industrial Estate.
The automated external defibrillator is publicly accessible, available 24-hours a day and will provide real-time step-by-step instructions to help people deliver high-quality CPR if someone experiences sudden cardiac arrest.
The defibrillator has been paid for by local engineering company Crane Electronics Ltd and supplied by Our Jay Foundation, a charity set up in memory of Jamie Rees, a Warwickshire-based teenager who died following an unexplained cardiac arrest on New Year’s Day in 2022.
Crane Electronics Managing Director Adrian Duffin said:
“There are more than 20 businesses located on our industrial estate, which means hundreds, if not thousands, of staff, visitors and members of the public are passing by these buildings most days of the week.”
“As a business, we felt it was important to offer 24-hour access to life-saving equipment, in case of an emergency – not just for those at Crane, but for everyone nearby who might ever need it.”
Having suffered a cardiac arrest, Jamie’s friends called an ambulance and started to do CPR on him. While there was a defibrillator nearby, it was locked in a school, making it inaccessible. Although paramedics managed to get his heart beating again, 18-year-old Jamie sadly died on 5 January 2022, after his brain was starved of oxygen.
Soon after he died, his family launched Our Jay Foundation, initially hoping to raise £1,500 for a 24/7 accessible defibrillator to be placed at the school near where Jamie collapsed that evening.
They have since raised more than £100,000, which has meant they have been able to supply and install – many of which they have funded – more than 60 publicly accessible defibrillators.
Crane Electronics is the first to have installed a vandal-proof ‘Our Jay’ defibrillator in Leicestershire.
“What happened to Jamie is tragic and devastating. Speaking as a parent, the hard work, dedication and commitment his family continue to demonstrate in his memory, is nothing but admirable,”
added Adrian.
“What Our Jay Foundation has highlighted, is that cardiac arrests can happen to anyone, at any time, making it vital that defibrillators are placed in accessible public places.”
If someone experiences a cardiac arrest, the first thing a person nearby should do is call 999. The operator will then talk the caller through where the nearest defibrillator is and provide a pin code to access it from a secure cabinet.
“Absolutely no training is required to operate these defibrillators – the unit will talk the user through each step,”
said Barrie Etter, Crane’s Safety, Well-being, Environmental Advisor & IMS Manager.
“Having these defibrillators on site is like having car insurance – you hope you never have to use it, but it’s vital that you have it.”
“Ultimately, this defibrillator might help to save somebody’s life and that’s what’s important. We are planning on engaging with our neighbouring businesses on the industrial site, so they are aware where the defibrillator is located.”
Also inside the vandal-proof case in which the defibrillator sits is a bleed kit, designed to provide members of the public with the products they need to stop life-threatening bleeding until paramedics arrive.
Jamie’s mum, Naomi Rees-Issitt, of Wolvey, said:
“Cardiac arrests don’t stereotype. In fact, somebody walking or working on an industrial estate is just as likely to have a cardiac arrest as those who are playing a sport, which is why we were so pleased to hear that Crane Electronics wanted to install one of our defibrillators.”
“In an ideal world, we would be living in a heart-safe community but to do that, you would need a defibrillator located every 200 metres, which just isn’t feasible.”
“However, since launching Our Jay Foundation, we have installed 60 defibrillators, the majority of which are in Rugby. We are now on a mission to branch out into other towns and cities, as we continue to make our country a more heart-safe space.”
“Hopefully other businesses and organisations in Hinckley and Leicestershire follow in Crane’s footsteps and see the importance of getting their own defibrillator installed.”
For more information on Our Jay Foundation and getting a defibrillator installed visit their website.