Ambulance charity launches defib appeal

Volunteer responders across the South West could receive upgraded defibrillators through a new public appeal.

Volunteer responders across the South West could receive upgraded defibrillators through a new public appeal.

The South Western Ambulance Charity is asking people, businesses and community groups to support its Save a Heart Appeal, which will replace and upgrade 288 defibrillators carried by Community First Responders.

The volunteers are trained to give immediate help in their local communities, including rural areas, and can often reach patients before an ambulance arrives. The charity says the new ZOLL AED3 models would work alongside equipment used by ambulance crews.

Defibrillators deliver an electric shock which can help restore a normal heart rhythm during a cardiac arrest. The charity says only around one in 10 people in the UK survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Zoe Larter, Head of Charity for South Western Ambulance Charity, said: "When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, every second really does count."

She said upgraded devices would make patient handovers quicker and give clinical teams more information to support decisions. People can raise money through activities such as a marathon, pub quiz, raffle or bake sale.

See more at justgiving.com.