St John Ambulance Derbyshire Central

05/09/2026

💚SAVE A LIFE SEPTEMBER💚

CPR SONG CHALLENGE! 🎵❤️

Could you pick the right songs to help you perform CPR at the correct compression rate?

When someone is in cardiac arrest, every second counts — and knowing how to perform chest compressions can help save a life.

🎶 Your challenge: Which songs would you choose to keep your CPR compressions at the recommended rate of 100–120 compressions per minute?

Think you know your CPR beats? 👇
Drop your song choices in the comments!

💡 Hint: think of songs with a strong, steady beat — but make sure they fall within the right tempo range.

And remember, a song can help you keep the rhythm, but CPR training gives you the skills and confidence to respond in an emergency.

Be ready to Save a Life this September.

04/09/2026

💚SAVE A LIFE SEPTEMBER💚

Do you know where your nearest AED (defibrillator) is?

St John Ambulance recommend using https://www.thecircuit.uk/ to find your nearest AED.

What is The Circuit?
The Circuit is the national defibrillator network. It maps defibrillators across the UK. This allows ambulance services to locate the nearest registered defibrillator when a bystander calls 999 in response to an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Register and maintain your defibrillator on The Circuit to ensure ambulance services can locate it in the crucial moments following a cardiac arrest

03/09/2026

Learn how to use an AED this Save A Life September!

By using an automatic external defibrillator (AED) before an ambulance arrives, you can significantly increase someone’s chance of survival.

What is an AED?
An AED, or Automated External Defibrillator, is a lightweight, easy-to-use medical device designed to help in cases of sudden cardiac arrest. It checks the heart’s rhythm and, if needed, sends a controlled electric shock to try to restart it. AEDs are built so that anyone, even without medical training, can use them in an emergency. You’ll often see them in workplaces, schools, gyms, and other public areas where quick action could save a life.

This video tells you how to use a defibrillator. Defibrillators are very safe, they tell you what to do, and you don't need specific training to use one.

If someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally, you may need...

02/09/2026

This Save A Life September, help us save more women's lives.

St John Ambulance launched the CPR Bra campaign in October 2024 which aimed to save lives by ‘busting the taboo’ around chest compressions on women and people with breasts.

The research showed one in three people are afraid to give CPR to a woman in public because they are worried about touching breasts.

THIS HAS GOT TO CHANGE!

Designed to close the gender CPR Gap, SJA created the world’s first educational bra - the CPR Bra* - to reassure people that taking fast action is the right thing to do to save a life, regardless of gender. It features the message ‘It’s OK to Save My Life’ on the front, along with scissor icons to illustrate where clothing should be cut to apply defibrillator pads.

In a cardiac arrest emergency, every second counts which is why the bra also included a reminder of the steps needed to respond to a cardiac arrest.
‘Check, Call, Compress’
Check for breathing.
Call 999 and
Give chest Compressions.

Together, we reassured people that it’s ok to touch part of someone’s chest to give CPR when in cardiac arrest – or even cut their bra or binding off to use a defibrillator because you are trying to save their life.

https://youtu.be/V6gbszEq7M0

01/09/2026

01/09/2026

💚 SAVE A LIFE SEPTEMBER 💚

This September, St John Ambulance volunteers from Derbyshire Central are getting out into our communities to help people learn the skills and confidence to step forward in an emergency.

You don’t need to be a paramedic.

You don’t need to know everything.

You just need to know what to do next.

Follow us. Share our posts. Come along to one of our demonstrations.

Let’s make Derbyshire a community of lifesavers.

31/08/2026

“Two skills you can practise tonight.”

Part 1: Recovery position

They're unconscious — but breathing normally.

What next?

The recovery position helps maintain an open airway and allows vomit to drain away. St John Ambulance recommends using it for someone who is unresponsive but breathing normally, while monitoring them and calling 999/112.

https://youtu.be/GmqXqwSV3bo?si=bfgsF2hdGFtSoOI_

Part 2: “Can you tie a sling?”

Grab a scarf, tea towel or triangular bandage.

Can you make an arm sling?

St John Ambulance's arm-sling technique uses a triangular bandage to support the forearm, wrist or upper arm.

https://youtu.be/PwfBGkBXkFA?si=vla4m-RY19U-fAHG

Don't just watch. Try it!

Find something triangular.

Make a sling.

Take a photo.

Tag .

30/08/2026

“Not every allergic reaction looks the same. Would you recognise the dangerous one?”

Someone has just eaten something they're allergic to.

Their lips are swelling.

They're struggling to breathe.

They're becoming confused.

What would you do?

RECOGNISE → 999 → AUTO-INJECTOR

St John Ambulance advises helping someone use their adrenaline auto-injector immediately if they have one, calling 999/112 and telling the ambulance service you suspect anaphylaxis. Further adrenaline doses may be given at five-minute intervals if symptoms don't improve or return.

https://youtu.be/o7uHHrVEt8Q?si=EFKjPIAx-lhy6fia

MILD?

Itchy rash.

⬇️

SERIOUS?

Swelling.

⬇️

LIFE-THREATENING?

Breathing difficulty / collapse.

Anaphylaxis is an emergency. Know the signs. Know where the auto-injector is. Know how to help.

29/08/2026

“Blood. Lots of it. Your first instinct might be to panic.”

Your first instinct should be to apply pressure.

PRESS. CALL. SUPPORT. MONITOR.

St John Ambulance advises calling 999/112, applying firm pressure with a dressing/pad and securing it with a bandage; if blood comes through, pressure should be reapplied with a new dressing/pad rather than simply removing the original treatment.

If bleeding isn't controlled, follow the instructions of the 999/112 call handler.

https://youtu.be/NxO5LvgqZe0?si=zpc8fyYxBA-cdRmH

What would you grab first?

🩹 A dressing
👕 A clean item of clothing
📱 Your phone
🤷 I wouldn't know

Getting emergency help and controlling the bleeding are the priorities.