ISM Waste and Recycling has made a "heartfelt" gesture by ensuring its newly purchased life-saving defibrillator is also available to neighbouring businesses and homes. Bosses at ISM Waste Services and Recycling have spent £2,500 on the equipment and have secured it in a vandal-proof box outside its main gate in the town's Kenyon Street. Those who wish to use the heart defibrillator in case of an emergency will be given the four digit code to the keypad once they contact the ambulance service.
ISM director Mr Peter Allen said: "The original idea for the defibrillator was floated by my father, John Allen snr, some months ago and we decided to go ahead and do it. It just seemed a good idea to purchase one. We then thought about how it could be used. It would have been easy to keep it just for us internally, but we then decided to make it available 24/7 to nearby businesses and residents. That was the natural thing to do."
Mr Allen added: "The catchment area for the defibrillator is approximately 250 metres, that is to say any user who has a casualty within this radius will benefit from its location. We're talking about residents and businesses in Kenyon Street, Peel Brow and Bury New Road."
Because the machine virtually talks the user through the process of using the defibrillator, no prior knowledge or training is required. ISM's action has been welcomed by Dawn Taylor, the co-ordinator of community defibrillators for Rossendale, who is also a community first responder volunteer with the North West Ambulance Service.
Disclosing that she had asked Mr Allen to make the life-saving equipment available to the wider community, she said: "What the company has done is absolutely fantastic and I'm thrilled to bits. There are 270 other defibrillators in the North West which members of the public can use."
Stressing that the machine fully guides the user through the process, she went on: "This takes away the fear factor. The defibrillator is safe as houses to use. Peter said to me he's one in a chain and that chain will go on and create more links. The more machines we get, the better."
Anyone wishing to undergo defibrillator training and for information about getting the equipment, ring Dawn on 07812 303 856.
