THE TIRELESS work of a Rugby mum to bring life-saving equipment to the streets in memory of her son has been boosted by a donation from Warwickshire’s firefighters.
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service (WFRS) donated 15 defibrillators to the OurJay Foundation, a charity which funds publicly accessible defibrillators and provides training in life-saving skills – and has so far installed over 240 defibrillators across Warwickshire and beyond.
The charity was founded by Naomi Rees-Issitt following the tragic death of her 18-year-old son Jamie Rees, who suffered a cardiac arrest in the early hours of New Year’s Day 2022. Despite a defibrillator being located nearby, it was inaccessible, highlighting the critical need for 24/7 access to the life-saving devices.
WFRS’s Technical Department recently replaced all defibrillators used on their front-line appliances, resulting in a surplus of Cardiac Science G3 Defibrillators – 15 of which the team decided to donate.
Naomi said: “We’d like to say a big thank you to WFRS for this kind donation. This will enable the OurJay Foundation to place accessible defibrillators across many more communities and continue to raise awareness around heart safety and the vital need for 24/7 accessible defibrillators, in memory of our precious Jamie.”
The foundation plans to replace the defibrillators’ pads and fully service them, enabling them to be deployed as community accessible defibrillators across Warwickshire.
The donation came about when the Technical Department at WFRS approached Rugby Mayor Simon Ward, who has adopted the OurJay Foundation as his chosen charity for the year.
Charlie Rudge from the Technical Department at WFRS said: “It is our hope that this donation will support and strengthen the capability of the Foundation so that they can introduce more public access defibrillators into the Warwickshire area in order to better protect against and prevent tragedies due to cardiac arrest.
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to support such a fantastic Foundation, which in turn will help protect our communities.”
Coun Andy Crump, Warwickshire County Council’s spokesperson for Fire and Rescue and Community Safety, added, “Accessible defibrillators are crucial for saving lives. Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time, and having a defibrillator available within eight minutes can increase a person’s chance of survival by up to 70 per cent.
“We are proud to support The OurJay Foundation in their mission to ensure these vital devices are readily available to the public.”
Visit www.ourjay.org.uk for more information on the OurJay Foundation, and to donate.
