Channel Island Co-Op Society to place defibrillators

The Channel Islands Co-op Society is paving the way for other well-known retail brands in regards to providing for public health needs. The company is planning to place defibrillators in 12 of their stores across in Jersey. The first defibrillator was installed in St Helier Grand Marche on the 16th of December, with the rest of the devices will be fitted within the next few weeks.

Staff who work in the branches have been thoroughly trained by St Johns Ambulance on how to use the heart restarting devices correctly. The service has provided 92 hours of training to Society colleagues.

Even though the stores reside on a relatively small island of Jersey, the devices were desperately needed for areas where an ambulance cannot reach quickly.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Society, commented on the project ‘There is nothing more precious than life and if sudden cardiac arrest occurs, anyone can help save a life with this equipment. We live on a relatively small Island but in the event of a cardiac arrest, each and every second counts until the ambulance arrives. A great deal of work has been put into ensuring that all of our food stores will have accessible defibrillators 24/7 and our colleagues in store are comfortable using them, should the need arise.’