La Fraternelle, Foresters Healthcare and Orion Insurance Management have come forward to donate the money to faciliate Guernsey FC’s purchase of a defibillator.
Earlier this year, as part of pre-season, the Green Lions underwent CPR training with St John Training Services Guernsey. The course was arranged by St John Ambulance Guernsey, following a request from Guernsey FC shortly after the Euro 2020 tournament when Danish footballer Christian Erikson suffered a cardiac arrest during the match against Finland. Erikson was given immediate CPR and was resuscitated on the pitch.
The training highlighted the importance of having a defib to hand pitch-side. “Knowing what to do in an emergency is vital and the quicker you act, the greater the chance of survival,” explained Heather Langlois, Training and Development Manager at St. John Training Services. “For every minute that goes by without CPR and the use of an AED, the person’s chance of survival drops by 10%. That’s why Public Access Defibrillators are so important. Knowing what to do and having access to these machines can mean the difference between a life lost and a life saved.”
Defibrillators are not cheap, therefore we were delighted when La Fraternelle, Foresters and Orion stepped in and helped us to make the purchase.
“We have previously donated defibrillators to the Table Tennis Association and St Paul’s Methodist Church, and are acutely aware of the crucial role they can play,” said Arron Hawke, Chief Ranger of the Foresters.
“We hope the defib is never called into action, but having one on hand really can be a life saver. “On behalf of La Fraternelle, Foresters Healthcare and Orion Insurance Management I was delighted to make this life-saving gift.”
“We are extremely grateful to La Fraternelle, Foresters Healthcare and Orion for making it possible for us to acquire this important piece of equipment,” added Dawn Thomas, head of Guernsey FC’s medical team.
“The portable defib can travel with us, be present at training and kept to hand pitch-side, where it can be deployed immediately should the need ever arise. A speedy response is crucial to ensure the best possible outcome in the event of a cardiac emergency, and we can now provide that thanks to this generous donation.”
