3rd October 2024 • The HERALD • Page 73 v INDEPENDENT, LOCAL AND PROUD v ASK A PROFESSIONAL EXXONMOBIL FAWLEY DONATES OVER £16,000 TO INSTALL LIFESAVING DEFIBRILLATORS ACROSS HYTHE AND FAWLEY anks to ExxonMobil Fawley, more than 34,000 residents across the Waterside area will soon have improved access to four lifesaving de brillators. The £16,000 contribution from the petrochemical complex has enabled the installation of defibrillators at locations in Fawley and Hythe and Dibden. Popular locations, chosen for their high foot and vehicle tra c, include Long Lane in Holbury, the entrance to Calshot on Calshot Road, another on Fawley Road beside Netley View Post O ce and the fourth conveniently placed beside Ewart Recreational ground in Hythe. Powered by solar energy, the de brillators ensure continuous and reliable lifesaving equipment for local residents and some of the 15 million annual visitors to the New Forest. Research from the National Institute of Healthcare and Excellence (NICE) states that one of the most important factors which influences survival between cardiac arrest and defibrillation is time. Early de brillation within 3–5 minutes of collapse can produce survival rates up to 50–70%. However, each minute of delay reduces the probability of survival to hospital discharge by 10%. Chairman Councillor Alan Alvey from Fawley Parish Council said, “Fawley Parish Council is very grateful to ExxonMobil Fawley for providing two new defibrillators for the Cllr Alan Alvey and Richard Rastall, Fawley Site Safety, Security, Health and Environment Manager alongside the Calshot Road defibrillator Fawley community. These are incredibly special cabinets; they are solar powered so the batteries will be kept at a good temperature to preserve their power. They are in positions where you can pull up in a vehicle, grab the defib and get going and the locations chosen are areas where there were previously no defibrillators available.” Richard Rastall, Fawley Site Safety, Security, Health and Environment Manager said: “We’re really pleased to support our local community with the installation of these four defibrillators. At ExxonMobil Fawley, health and safety is at the core of what we do, and having trained in using defibrillators myself, I know just how important they can be in an emergency. Across the UK, there has been a significant drive to increase the number of public access defibrillators available in community spaces, and we are glad to help ensure that these lifesaving devices are there for residents and visitors where they’re needed most.”
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