CALLOUS THIEVES STEAL LIFE-SAVING RESUSCITATION EQUIPMENT IN TEDDINGTON
Callous thieves have broken into a storage shed in Teddington and stolen NINE pieces of resuscitation equipment which are used to teach vital life-saving skills, it was revealed today.
The small wooden shed behind St Mark’s Church in St Mark’s Road was broken into with the locking system completely ripped away and the equipment known as Resusci Annes worth £250 each were taken as well as spare faces and lungs which are also needed to teach CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)
The equipment is used by the charity St John Ambulance to train volunteers to use CPR in a life or death emergencies and they range in ages from 5 years old to 85 years old.
Unit manager Iain MacGreggor said: “These Resusci Anne’s alone are worth around £250 each and this will hit our unit hard, especially with the financial situation at the moment meaning that St. John Ambulance are making 10% cuts to their paid workforce.
“If anyone saw or heard anything, have anything on their ring doorbell cameras or nearby CCTV, please let me know. This has been reported to the police and we really hope we will get the equipment back. This equipment is vital in helping people to save lives.”
It is understood that the alarm was first raised by local church-goers.
In the last 48 hours a gofundme campaign has been launched to try to raise £2500 to help replace the Resusci-Annes and accessories.
Writing on the neighbourhood social media platform Ashley Nicholls wrote: “Hi, my name is Ashley and I’m fundraising to replace 9 x Resusci-Annes and parts that were stolen from St Mark’s Church in South London this week.
“They belonged to St John Ambulance and the theft will hit their unit hard. Resusci Anne, also known as Rescue Anne, Resusci Annie or CPR Annie, is a training mannequin used for teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). It is for both emergency workers and members of the general public. Please help me raise this money to replace this important equipment.”
You can donate here: https://gofund.me/7bdd06bb
