A construction firm has donated two defibrillators to the charity set up in memory of a Coatbridge teenager who tragically died after suffering a cardiac arrest during a training session with his team mates.
As part of a joint initiative with the British Heart Foundation, Taylor Wimpey West Scotland handed the potentially life-saving equipment over to the Kieran McDade Foundation.
Kieran tragically passed away at the age of 13 a week after suffering a cardiac arrest while attending football training in August 2016.
The Kieran McDade Foundation was set up in November of that year by Dunbeth Football Club in Kieran's memory and from then, the club pledged to source as many defibrillators as possible and donate them to local football and sports clubs to make these places as safe as they can be for all that use them.
Thus far, the Foundation has placed 118 defibrillators across Scotland.
During 2019, the British Heart Foundation worked with Taylor Wimpey to train its employees in CPR skills and provide every one of their building sites in the UK with a defibrillator.
As part of its commitment to leaving a lasting legacy in the areas in which it builds, Taylor Wimpey is donating the defibrillators to local communities when their developments are completed.
Taylor Wimpey has also committed to ensuring all of its defibrillators are registered on The Circuit - the national defibrillator network which connects defibrillators to NHS ambulance services across the UK, so that in those crucial moments after a cardiac arrest, they can be accessed quickly to help save lives.
Deryck Schendel, regional health and safety advisor for Taylor Wimpey in Scotland, told Lanarkshire Live : It’s so important to us that we give something back to the communities in which we’re building.
"Our partnership with the British Heart Foundation is vitally important in helping to ensure that more defibrillators are available for people who might need them and following the completion of our sites at Ravenscraig and Bargeddie, we are proud to be able to donate these two defibrillators to The Kieran McDade Foundation who are providing this lifesaving equipment to sports and football clubs in Scotland.”
Derek Murphy from The Kieran McDade Foundation said: “We can’t thank Taylor Wimpey enough for these defibrillators.
"They will be placed with two local football or sports clubs where we hope they never have to use them. It’s fantastic to know that through our work across Scotland that we’re increasing the number of sports clubs and football clubs that have access to a defibrillator in the event of an emergency and hopefully help to save someone’s life.”
A defibrillator is a portable device that can be used by anyone to help restart the heart when someone suffers from a cardiac arrest and has stopped breathing.
No specific training is needed and the device will only deliver a shock to the heart if necessary.
When someone has a cardiac arrest, every second counts. For every minute that passes without defibrillation and CPR the chances of survival decrease by around 10 per cent.
Estelle Stephenson, survival programme lead at the British Heart Foundation, said: “More than 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital every year but .less than one in ten survive.
"More people could be saved if everyone felt confident performing CPR and using a public access defibrillator.
“We are delighted that Taylor Wimpey has contributed to the aims of our charity by donating two defibrillators to the Kieran McDade Foundation. It could really make the difference between life and death.”
For more information on CPR, defibrillators and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, or how you can help the British Heart Foundation create a "Nation of Lifesavers", visit here.
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