Saving lives in Beringstedt: The fire department is urgently looking for support for training!

Saving lives in Beringstedt: The fire department is urgently looking for support for training!

The Beringstedt Volunteer Fire Department is determined to help even faster and more effectively in the event of medical emergencies. In order to improve their resuscitation training and optimize the use of defibrillators, the firefighters urgently need two training dummies. These dolls are at the top of the wish list, which is to be financed with the help of donations from the public. There has been a publicly accessible defibrillator in town since 2021, which was sponsored by the Raiffeisenbank. Firefighter Holm explains: “So that we are always ready for action in an emergency, it would be ideal if we permanently had a defibrillator in the emergency vehicle.”

The municipality has already provided 2,000 euros for an automated external defibrillator (AED) to expand the fire department's ability to respond to medical emergencies. “We are now an AED fire department and are alerted alongside the emergency services if there is a medical emergency in Beringstedt,” reports Holm proudly. This is particularly important because the fire department often arrives on site quicker than the emergency services, which can significantly speed up life-saving measures. In fact, the fire department was able to successfully resuscitate a 48-year-old woman from Beringstedt in November, which once again underlines the importance of acting quickly.

Training and further education that is essential for survival

The Beringstedt firefighters have already gained valuable knowledge of how to use defibrillators during several training sessions supported by other fire departments. This training is a key part of their strategy to improve their preparedness during emergencies. In order to respond even more effectively to emergencies, they would like to further expand the already established platform for AEDs in their region by involving neighboring fire departments in the training process and promoting the exchange of training resources.

The importance of the use of defibrillators is also underlined in medical research. According to a careful study informing about the benefits of implantable defibrillators, these devices can not only increase the chances of survival in the event of sudden cardiac arrest, but also significantly reduce the death rate from sudden cardiac deaths, as various studies show. A comprehensive analysis of patients who have received an ICD shows significant survival benefits in certain high-risk groups, making the need for training and support of emergency services even more important to spread life-saving know-how throughout the community, as the Beringstedt Fire Department also strives to do. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.