The Mayor of Bognor Regis has visited the headquarters of the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Charity to hear about its life-saving work.
Councillor Gill Yeates travelled to the charity’s base in Redhill to meet crews and staff, who provide emergency care by helicopter and rapid response vehicles across the South East. The visit highlighted the vital role the service plays in responding to serious incidents and helping patients who need urgent, specialist treatment.
The engagement comes just days before ‘Restart a Heart Day’ on Thursday 16 October, a campaign that promotes the importance of CPR training and early defibrillator use in saving lives.
The charity has set an ambitious goal this year of training tens of thousands of people across the region. It says that by giving more members of the public the confidence to step in during cardiac emergencies, survival rates can be significantly improved.
Research shows that the chances of surviving a cardiac arrest outside hospital are currently low in the UK. However, immediate CPR and access to a defibrillator can more than double the likelihood of survival. The Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Charity believes that widespread community training will be a major step towards changing those statistics.
The charity relies heavily on donations to continue its operations, with each mission costing thousands of pounds. Alongside its emergency response role, the team works with schools, businesses and community groups to raise awareness about life-saving skills and the value of early intervention in cardiac emergencies.
With Restart a Heart Day approaching, the charity is urging people of all ages to take part in training sessions, learn CPR, and familiarise themselves with defibrillators available in their communities.
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