It's time to shock, literally. Reading this could save a life...

I am not apologetic that it is time to shock, you, the reader.

A play on words perhaps; however, it focuses on two key elements that could save someone’s life. Some readers may recall that some time ago I wrote about the importance of defibrillators in our sport. It was a piece that I hoped would have an impact and, several months on, the results have been encouraging; it’s a strong start for sure.

Last year I walked around the Game Fair carrying my defibrillator. I recall a considerable number of people both looking at me rather strangely and, more importantly, asking me what it was and what it did. Over the weekend I engaged with a number of individuals who all either know someone, or, knew of someone who had been affected by a cardiac arrest. Having met with the team at Fieldsports Britain, The Field Magazine, Guns on Pegs, BASC and many individuals, the response was very encouraging and so began the task of educating our community on the importance of defibrillators. To repeat a section from the summer article; in the UK there are over 30,000 cardiac arrests each year. The incredibly sad statistic is that fewer than 1 in 10 people survive them.

The reason for this poor survival rate is that the two intervention methods stated above are not carried out – early defibrillation & CPR. The fact is that immediate initiation of CPR can double or even quadruple the survival chances, whilst defibrillation within 3-5 minutes can produce survival rates of up to 70%. There are, of course, instances where intervention is not successful; however, what we can do within our community is have measures in place that could potentially save a life. The answer is simple; we need access to defibrillators so they are never more than a few yards away. What was most encouraging during this early phase was the emotional response of so many individuals, thus empowering them to support the campaign. It remains a very harsh reality, the chances are that if you need defibrillation on a shoot, you are unlikely to receive it – simply due to the location and significant lack of them in the countryside. It's brilliant that they are on the side of Village Halls, Churches and other places but when we are several miles from these, out on the moors or in woodland, they are too far away, and the likelihood of survival diminishes rapidly by the minute. I titled this ‘it's time to shock’ and so here it is:

As soon as a cardiac arrest happens, the heart muscle starts to die. You need to locate and get defib pads on with urgency. Every minute that then passes by, the heart will deteriorate at a rapid rate, around a further 10% each minute. I can’t stress enough how time is both crucial and precious. Below is a cardiac arrest timeline: please take the time to read through this and see for yourself:

· Minute 1 o The person collapses. If they are unresponsive and not breathing, it is likely that they have suffered a cardiac arrest.  Phone the emergency services on 999. The operator will give you step-by-step instructions on how to perform CPR, and they should also tell you where the nearest defibrillator is located. o Begin to perform CPR

· Minute 2 o Early defibrillation is critical for saving the life of someone in Sudden Cardiac Arrest, and the earlier a defibrillator is located and used, the greater the ultimate chance of survival and recovery. o Without treatment, a person in Sudden Cardiac Arrest loses 10% of their chance of survival for every minute that goes by. o Once the defibrillator pads have been placed on the chest, they begin to analyse the heart rhythm to determine whether a shock is required. The shock will then be delivered if required. The defibrillator will inform you when to continue performing CPR

· Minute 3 o Without treatment by this point, the victim’s chance of survival has decreased by 30%

· Minutes 4 & 5 o Using a defibrillator and effective CPR within this window boosts the victim’s chance of survival from 6% to 74%.

· Minute 6 o Without treatment by this point, tissue death of the heart muscle and the brain will begin to occur, and the chance of survival will have reduced to between 40 and 60% · Minutes 7 & 8 o Without treatment by this point, the victim’s chances of survival have reduced to between 30 and 20%.

· Minutes 9 & 10 o Continue to use the AED and perform CPR until the ambulance service arrives. Without proper treatment by this point, the chance of survival will have now reduced to just 10%.

It's time to shock you the reader into these statistics, and it's time to get a defib and shock the casualty – as fast as you possibly can. The heart starts to die immediately, and continues to do so by 10% every minute. If you haven’t got a defib on by minute 6 the heart and now brain will both be dying at a rapid rate and by minute 10, the chance of survival is less than 10%. So I ask again as I did back in the summer, do you know where your nearest defib is to you, and more to the point, do you know where the nearest defib is to you when you are out on a shoot? Can you get a hold of it and get the pads onto the person in need within a couple of minutes? Can you play arguably the most important part in that person's potential survival?

Alarmingly, the answer to this will be a majority no so guess what, its time to shock. It's time to get one. Defibs are intuitive – they tell you what to do so no prior training is needed. It’s a case of putting two pads onto a bare chest (the defib shows you where) and then it will tell you if the person needs a shock. They read the heart's status and along with this they talk you through CPR and if it's needed.

I want to close this second article in what will be a series on this, talking about what defib to buy. There are many defibrillators on the market but not all are applicable to the outdoors. The most appropriate defibrillator is one that can be used on both adults and children, using the same pads, and can be used anywhere, anytime in any weather. Such a defib does exist and since we launched this campaign back at the Game Fair, we have been placing these in Gun Makers, rural shoots, country estates and shooting clubs across the country. It is getting better but you need to play your part. I ask you, the Shoot Captain, the landowner, the Game Keeper, the secretary, the peg, the beater: Have you got a defibrillator for your shoot?!

Through the link below you can get access to the recommended defibrillator and by using the code ‘shoot24’ when added to basket, you can get a 50% discount.

For a small amount of money, you could be a lifesaver. I truly hope you never have to use it, but the statistics, they suggest that won't be the case.

Visit Wel Medical here to get your defib at the 50% discount rate and protect those around you.