A village cabbie has come up with a shockingly good idea to help save lives – he’s installed a defibrillator in his taxi!
Ruddington’s Richard Le Blond, who has driven for Southside Cars for the last eight years, had the device fitted to his vehicle on Monday. He paid for it himself and believes he is the first private hire driver in this area to carry one. Richard told us: “I’m aware that in Clifton and surrounds there are a large number of ageing people that could be vulnerable and defibrillators – although available – aren’t easy to obtain. So I thought ‘why not have one that is easy to obtain?’ A taxi would be ideal, although there would be no charge to deliver and use it.”
Defibrillators can be vital when someone’s heart loses its natural rhythm – known as arrhythmia – to deliver a dose of electric current that, all being well, will start it beating normally again. Richard is carrying what’s known as an AED (automated external defibrillator) which automates the diagnosis of treatable rhythms, meaning that lay responders or bystanders should able to use it successfully with little or no training. “They are easy to use, and the machine gives the operator voice instructions – although I was trained by the St Johns Ambulance to give CPR” says Richard. “A taxi is a more versatile way of getting it to people.”
Richard certainly seems to be a trailblazer for this lifesaving tool – as The London Ambulance Service has just started training black cab drivers to help save the lives of people in cardiac arrest in the capital. In a six month pilot scheme paramedics are teaching the drivers to perform CPR – and have fitted their vehicles with defibrillators.
It’s worth noting there are (at least) another six defibrillators available at locations around Ruddington – at St Peter’s Rooms, Elms Park Pavilion, both our doctors’ surgeries, Ruddington Dental Practice AND at St Peter’s School. But not all are available 24/7 nor able to be transported quickly to where they’re needed.
Ruddington kitchen design guru Rob Mascari (who took the photos for us) says: “This should be applauded… Nottingham’s FIRST private hire cab with an onboard defibrillator!”
Richard can be contacted via Southside Cars on 0115-9141414.
