I’ve mentioned the defibrillator outside the Boussac branch of Credit Agricole before, thoughtfully put there for the days when you call in and discover either just how high your bank charges are or how low your balance is, or possibly both!

There’s another defibrillator in Nouzerines, attached to the outer wall of the WC in the little park outside the Mairie. I suppose, given the average age of the citizens of Nouzerines, this could be quite useful but so far it appears to have had a quiet life. It’s quite an investment. It has its own dedicated power supply and from dawn to dusk there’s a flashing light on top of it so you know which direction to stagger in through the gloom, clutching your chest.

Chris and I took a closer look at it the other day when we were waiting for Ruadhri’s school bus to roll up. I love the instructions strip-cartoon.

Once you’ve got the plastic cover off the device, you need to use the phone inside the unit to a) get the defibrillator activated, and b) find out how to use it. That information is what gives you the self-satisfied smirk in the second diagram. Now comes the blast of electricity and then presumably you summon an ambulance to get you to hospital for the blood transfusion that you’re clearly going to need! Simples.

I wonder what the initials,  AED DAE, on the defibrillator stand for? My best suggestion is: Amateur Employment of Defibrillator – Death by Accidental Electrocution!

I don’t suppose this machine was cheap and I also imagine there’s some kind of standing charge to pay to Aivia. (I’ve looked on the webiste at www.aivia.fr but you can’t get access to  much without a customer number.) And not forgetting the electricity bill. However, it’s nice that the Mairie has invested in this possibly life-saving piece of kit for the inhabitants of the commune, although since most of us are well scattered throughout the surrounding countryside, we might not get there in time. But it’s the thought that counts!