Feature

A charity provides lifesaving skills to Okehampton residents

In just five years, an Okehampton charity has given the town eight defibrillators and provided lifesaving training to more than 400 people. Oke PADs was the creation of three local residents who wanted to make sure that the town, and its inhabitants, had access to the lifesaving devices - but not only that, the knowledge on how to use them and the understanding of what to do in an emergency. In 2017, Joe Rice, James Stevens and Darren Goodwin proposed the formulation of Oke PADs (Public Access Defibrillators) to support the funding and placement of this equipment and free training for all. With an estimated population of more than 8,000 (a number which continues to expand) the trio knew the charity would be beneficial to save the lives of local residents and anyone visiting the town. Since its formation, Oke PADS has managed to install eight defibrillators, taking the total in the town to 11*. As a first aid trainer and Okehampton firefighter, Joe is no stranger to emergency situations.

After running a first aid training course in Okehampton in 2017, Joe mentioned that he believed Okehampton needed more defibrillators. In attendance at the course was James Stevens, an Okehampton estate agent, who himself had been in an emergency situation where a defibrillator was not available. He agreed with Joe that more were needed in the town, and soon they had recruited Darren Goodwin who is the Operations Manager at Devon Air Ambulance, also from the town, and Oke PADs was formed.

Joe said: ‘Defibrillators are all very similar, like a pair of shoes but they all look slightly different. Anyone can use a defibrillator - if you turn it on, it will tell you what to do, but in a highly stressful situation it’s not always so straightforward.

‘When someone stops breathing, you need the defibrillator to be there within five minutes but it could then take another five minutes to get it to work. It could be as quick as 30 seconds if you had the training.’

We are an independent practice. We strive to give excellent care for your animals and yourselves. Our practice covers all species, which gives the strength of multi-discipline knowledge and invidual expertise within the team.

EMERGENCY SERVICE BY THE VETS YOU KNOW • 3 Vets • 24hrs • 365 Days of the Year - covering companion animal, farm and equine species

Okehampton 01837 658777 • North Tawton 01837 82327 • Hatherleigh 01837 810455 Equus Vets (equine vets) 01837 214004

Pictured left to right: Joe Rice, James Stevens, Darren Goodwin.

The interactive training provided by Oke PADs takes two hours and are held all around Okehampton in order to provide free training to people over the age of 12. Current statistics say that less than 10% of people survive an out of hospital cardiac arrest; a defibrillator can increase that to as high as 70% if it is attached within five minutes AND if good quality CPR is given. Good quality CPR is required in the minutes before the defibrillator arrives, and the better the CPR is, the more likely it is the defibrillator will deliver a life saving shock.

Joe added: ‘Our charity is more important than ever - it’s on the news that the Ambulance Service is delayed as they are overstretched, overrun and they are busy all year round.

‘We want people to have hands-on experience and we want to show them the importance of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and the quality of CPR needed. ‘Most of us didn’t learn CPR in school, or we haven’t learnt for several years, which does mean our CPR may not be as effective as it could be. The better our CPR is, the more likely it is that the defibrillator will work. We want to make sure that in Okehampton we are surrounded by people who know what they are doing in an emergency situation.

‘We want to improve people’s knowledge and confidence.’ Fundraising for the charity has been tough during the pandemic. Joe said: ‘Throughout the last two years it has been incredibly difficult to raise funds to run our charity and train anyone who wanted to learn. But now training in community settings is possible again, we are looking forward to welcoming people back to our sessions. For those that need to learn or those that would like a reminder.

‘There are more than 60 defibrillators within 15miles of Okehampton, we are not just teaching people how to use the towns defibrillators, we are training people how to use one anywhere, and what to do while waiting for it to arrive.’

* The defibrillators are based at: New Road - New Life Church; Fore Street - Brothers Kitchen; George Street - Public Toilets; North Road - Fire Station; Crediton Road - Gillian’s Curtis Cuts; Exeter Road - Costcutter; The Pavilion in the Park; Okehampton Primary School, Glendale Road. The other privately owned defibrillators are at Waitrose, Okehampton Bowling Club and at Elemental Microanalysis Ltd on Exeter Road. This year, Oke PADS are adding two more, one at Station Road and the other at St James Primary School.

‘Despite the difficulties of the last two years we are pleased that we will also be able to add two more defibrillators to the town over the coming months. Bringing our total to 13. This will mean that hundreds more people will have access to life saving equipment within minutes of their homes and we encourage everyone to come and learn how to use them.’ For more information on Oke PADs visit https://okepads. wixsite.com/okepads