Ditchling: Defibrilator Saves Life - Audio

21 November 2013, 05:17 | Updated: 21 November 2013, 07:49

Over the last 5 years defibrillators have been put in private places in case of an emergency, and a week after they'd had one fitted at Mid Sussex Golf Club it became evident how important they really are.

The General manager at the club, Andrew Smith, was in a meeting when he had a call from South East Coast Ambulance Service to say that help was urgently needed at the end of the drive way where a member had collapsed.

Andrew was told to get the new Defibrillator and head straight to the scene. When he arrived with colleague Lee they found a club member, 80 year old John Evans, had suffered a heart attack in his car.

The first man on the scene was luckily a Doctor who happened to be playing a round of Golf nearby, he had started CPR and but it wasn't enough to fuly revive Mr. Evans.

The Doctor eventually told Mr Smith it was time to use the Defibrillator, and having had his training on how to use it just a week before hand he felt quite confident in how to use the equipment. After one shock from the machine Mr Evans started breathing again, to the relief of everyone around him.

After seeing the benefits of having a Defibrillator on site the members of the club want every other Golf club to invest in one. Mr Evans who was put in a coma for two days is now awake and asking about football results. But Mr Smith says that may well have not been the case had there not been a de-fibrelator on site, no one is in any doubt that it saved a life.

Since the incident the club has decided to get a second machine to put at the half way point on the course so that one is easily accessible to everyone, and they really want others to follow in their footsteps.

Hear our Interview with Andrew Smith

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Andrew Smith