On Saturday 28th January, Felixstowe Lions Club President Lion David Cole and I met Michael Crisp and Dave Edwards, station watch manager at Felixstowe Fire station.
Michael Crisp has a day job but is also an on-call firefighter in Felixstowe, one of those people that the residents in Felixstowe rely upon to operate our fire engines and help us in times of need.
We know that not all super heroes wear capes but guys like Michael not only don’t wear capes to be heroes, but they also wear multiple hats and David and I weren’t meeting Michael because he was an on call firefighter but because he is part of the GoodSAM network.
Michael said that losing his mum last year in a cardiac related issue encouraged him to become a GoodSAM Responder in her memory.
Michael told us that The GoodSAM network assist the East Of England Ambulance service by responding to alerts sent to them via the GoodSAM Responder service.
I had never heard of The GoodSAM Network but Michael explained that it was a network of voluntary responders who provide basic life support to those nearby in cardiac arrest while the ambulance is enroute to the casualty.
These off-duty nurses, paramedics, doctors, police, firefighters and first aiders save many lives each year. A cardiac arrest is a very serious condition affecting the heart which requires CPR and defibrillation in the initial moments to increase the possibility of survival. Having a person trained in CPR with an AED (Automated external defibrillator) means you have someone who can step in with the tools to save a life before the paramedics arrive… every minute counts.
Michael is certainly someone that you would be very glad to see if you find yourself in this unfortunate position.
The GoodSAM network members are not issued with AEDs, so Michael started a fundraising page to be able to purchase a portable kit that he can carry to emergencies. Now I would have thought that this would be something that lots of people would like to support but sadly not. Luckily, President David spotted the fundraising page and The Lions of Felixstowe were happy to help out and support Michael with a donation towards the kit, which is why we went along to meet him and Dave.
The kit is very neat and fits into a back pack, imagine a kit that fits into a backpack that can save a life!!
There is the main device, a box similar in size to a shoe box that contains pads, wires and a little person inside that can tell you exactly what to do, where to stick the pads and when to shock the patient etc… and there are pouches that look like first aid kits but contain things like spare pads, wipes, a kit to shave people’s chests so the AED can work, scissors to cut away clothing because the device doesn’t work over clothing, wipes to clean the chest, wipes to dry the chest, one way CPR masks, and so on, everything you need is there - all one time use because of infection control. It truly is fascinating and well thought out.
In January 2023 The East of England Ambulance service sent Michael 7 alerts to assist them with cardiac arrests.
Now just stop and think about that
In 28 days 7 people with cardiac arrest helped by 1 man with a day job, an on call fire fighter role and a modest back pack kit.
What did you do in January, detox? Celebrate Veganuary, be pleased that you had taken part in dry January???? All worthy things in their own way, but what Michael and the members of Good Sam do is extraordinary.
The story does not end with the kit
Its great news that Michael has the AED and can use it to help the people of Felixstowe at some of their worst possible moments but he needs ongoing support. Once a pad has been used on someone it can’t be reused, and it’s the same with the shaving kits and wipes, all things that are needed to save a life but can’t be reused. The battery also need replacing, it has a 5 year life time if not used, but we already know Michael has had 7 call outs in January so there is no way the battery will last 5 years, and a defibrillator without a battery is useless, Michael (and his patient) does not want to be in a situation where his battery runs out.
Below are the parts that will need replacing, if you were able to help out it will make a difference to people’s lives and who knows maybe it will make a difference to your life or the life of someone you love.
Michaels Go Fund Page:
https://gofund.me/f048db4a
Michaels Text details:
07878858847
Wish list:
• iPad Defibrillator New £1,200
• Spare battery (standby life 5 years if not used) £238
• First aid ruck sac £27
• Replacement pads (can only be used once ) (Pad Life 2 years) £66
• Defibrillator responder kit (can only be used once ) £14
Sponsorship:
£14 buys a replacement mini kit
£66 buys a replacement set of pads
£80 you could sponsor one life saving call out to replace the pads and mini kit
£100 you could sponsor one life saving call out and contribute towards a replacement battery
Consider sponsoring a call out in Memory of a loved one or in Honour of someone you love, we all know people who its hard to buy birthday presents for so donate in their honour.
Any amount will help, consider getting together a donation with a group of friends, of putting your spare change into a pot, every bit helps.
Lisa Williams
Community Service Director
Felixstowe Lions Club
January 2023
