Life-saving kit installed in Burton Town Centre!

Burton and South Derbyshire College’s (BSDC) Town Centre Campus has become the latest location for the installation of a potentially life-saving defibrillator and bleed kit.

The publicly accessible kit has been installed adjacent to the College’s Innovations Salon entrance and will be available to the emergency services when attending any local critical incidents, and to the general public.

The kit is registered on the National Defibrillator Network, ‘The Circuit’ in association with the British Heart Foundation, and will be a one-stop-shop for life-saving medical equipment in Burton Town Centre. 

Public Services Course Leader at BSDC, Rob Stevenson has been instrumental in securing the resources, as well as numerous other defibrillators installed in and around the Burton area. 

Rob has volunteered as a community first responder for the West Midlands Ambulance Service for thirteen years, and currently runs the team based in Abbots Bromley. He is deployed from the Emergency Operations Centre and attends any life threating emergencies within the area or if he is the closest first responder/medical help to the incident. In 2022, Rob was awarded a Platinum Jubilee Medal for his services as a volunteer for the ambulance service.

Rob said: “I have been campaigning for this equipment to be installed in the local area for years; it’s something that’s really important to me. Both a cardiac arrest and a major injury require immediate medical intervention, and having publicly accessible, easy to use medical equipment for any by-stander to use is vital.

“I am passionate about broadening the defibrillator network and I’m delighted that BSDC is now the latest organisation to be proactively contributing to public safety. We’re proud to be supporting the work of the British Heart Foundation and its partners to expand this critical network.”