Plumstead has had its own defibrillator since 2015 located at the Flagpole Garden in the old red BT Kiosk. It was the idea of ex Plumstead resident Julie Brown.
A lot of hard work by Julie ensured that the Defibrillator itself was then funded by the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
The defibrillator had to be housed in a temperature controlled secure cabinet costing £1200 and thanks to the Plumstead 2000 Fund then Chaired by resident David Ramsbotham the full cost was donated.
Since its installation several guardians within the Village have taken on the responsibility to ensure that the device and cabinet are fit for purpose.
The defibrillator is to be used when someone suffers a cardiac arrest and is unconscious, unresponsive and not breathing normally. The defibrillator can ONLY BE ACCESSED by dialling 999. When providing your location to the operator they will direct you to the nearest defibrillator and provide you with the keypad code of the cabinet to gain access to the device. No training is necessary as both audible and visual instructions are provided by the machine itself. The device is fail safe, in that it will not deliver a shock if the patient does not require it.
In recent years due to loss of funding, the maintenance of the kiosk, cabinet and the defibrillator has been borne by Plumstead Parish Council. The set up is quite costly to maintain, as new defibrillator batteries and pads have to be purchased at regular intervals, together with the maintenance of the kiosk and its lighting. Current costs are in the region of £150 per annum.
The current Guardian is Steve Price if you have any questions.