Fire, speeding and defibrillators discussed at Longden, Ford and Rea Valley Local Joint Committee

The Longden, Ford & Rea Valley Local Joint Committee (LJC) met in July at Hanwood Village Hall to discuss a wide range of community issues including West Mercia Community Speed Watch, community defibrillators and the future of LJCs.

The evening started with a presentation from the local fire service who encouraged members of the public to log on to the Shropshire Fire Website and complete the questionnaire about the future of the Fire Service.

The next presentation was given by the Shropshire Road Safety Partnership who gave the LJC and public some information about the Community Speed Watch Scheme that has now been launched in the West Mercia Policing area. The LJC decided this was a positive approach and will be encouraging members of the public to come forward and share concerns over specific roads where speeding is an issue.

The third presentation of the evening was conducted by West Midlands Ambulance Service who gave an excellent presentation on the need for community defibrillators.

Nationally, there are approximately 140,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. Statistics show that 80% to 90% of these attacks can be helped by communities having access to defibrillators.

Councillor and Chair of the LJC Roger Evans said:

“Local Joint Commttees continue to be important even though their grant giving is much reduced. They are a forum where local residents can come, ask questions and importantly get answers. The main item was speed on our village roads and it was good to hear first-hand that we, the local community, will soon be able to be actively involved in monitoring and helping the police identify speeding motorists.”

If you live in the Longden, Ford and Rea Valley LJC area and would like to find out more about community defibrillators or training on how to use a one, contact David Fairclough, Community Enablement Officer on 01743 252 483 or email david.fairclough@shropshire.gov.uk.