Peace of mind at Magna

Staff at Magna Science Adventure Centre will be receiving vital training in the use of defibrillator units through a partnership with Yorkshire Ambulance Service's (YAS) Community First Responder scheme.  This will provide an essential extra service for visitors of the Magna attraction.

YAS held a special celebration event in July 2008 at Magna to thank their vital volunteers for all their hard work. Magna donated the room hire for this event and in return, staff at Magna are being trained as Community First Responders.  Operations Director Helen Smith said of the partnership, "We would like to thank Yorkshire Ambulance Service for delivering Community First Responder training to Magna Staff. This will mean we are able to provide piece of mind for our visitors with a potentially life-saving service."

The defibrillators carried by Community First Responders work by delivering a controlled electric shock through the chest wall to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat after a cardiac arrest. The faster this treatment is delivered, the better the outcome for the patient.

This training for Magna provides new additional first aid support for 20 Magna staff who will be trained initially with refresher training sessions taking place in the future. The training machines will provide vital practice for staff in treatment for the life threatening cardiac arrhythmias, ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia.

The South Yorkshire Community First Responder scheme supports the work of over 150 community volunteers in South Yorkshire.