T: 01492 532938
E: info@welshmountainzoo.org
Old Highway, Colwyn Bay, Conwy,
North Wales, LL28 5UY
New Defib fitted at our Zoovenir Gift Shop
- 7th Gorffennaf 2021
- Charlotte Dykes
We now have a potentially life-saving defibrillator on site thanks to a charitable donation by Cadwch Curiadau Keep the Beats, which is part of Awyr Las – Blue Sky, the North Wales NHS Charity.
The defibrillator is now fully installed and although training is not required to use a defibrillator our first aid staff have had familiarisation training on its use, so that if anyone collapses at the Zoo and has a cardiac arrest they will know exactly what to do.
Workplaces, schools, leisure spaces and public buildings are encouraged to have a defibrillator on site. Tomos Hughes the North Wales Public Access Defibrillator Support Officer who is funded by Keep the Beats to install and maintain defibrillators in North Wales contacted the Zoo to discuss the installation of a permanent defibrillator on site.
Jen Jesse, Director of Operations & Administration, of the Welsh Mountain Zoo commented: “Health and safety is a priority for us here at the Zoo. Having an onsite defibrillator is a real asset in the event of an emergency. As a charity, and following long periods of closure due to lockdown, we rely heavily on external funding and support. This donation by Keep the Beats and Awyr Las is an incredibly welcome gesture and we’d like to thank them very much. We hope that we never have to use it, but knowing that we have it on site is incredibly reassuring.”
Julie Starling Arrhythmia Clinical Specialist and project lead for Keep the Beats said:
“Keep the Beats is run by front line NHS staff, who are very pleased to be able to support their local Zoo with this life saving equipment. This defibrillator is part of our Covid-19 response and has been made possible by kind donations to Keep the Beats and a grant from NHS Charities Together. Early CPR and defibrilaiton is the best combination to save a life and this was highlighted recently when Christian Eriksen collapsed on the football pitch and was successfully resuscitated. No training is needed to use a defibrillator as it gives voice prompts and tells you what to do. When you call 999 the ambulance operator will tell you where your nearest defibrillator is, never stop CPR to fetch a defibrillator, ask someone else to fetch it for you. CPR is an easy skill to learn, you can even learn it online www.awyrlas.org.uk/keepthebeats. We hope the defibrillator at the Zoo is never needed but if it is it could help to save a life.”