Lifesaving equipment praised

Town centre workers like market staff, wardens and parking enforcement officers have all been trained to use the equipment.

A defibrillator in the market saved the life of a 60-year-old man suffering a cardiac arrest in November 2014 - weeks after it was installed.

Emma Scott, community defibrillation officer at Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: “It is a real benefit to have them in public places with an access code easily available from the ambulance service.

“Having easy access means immediate lifesaving care can be provided in an emergency situation, such as cardiac arrest, in the vital minutes before the ambulance arrives.

“We know that in many medical emergencies the first few minutes are critical and if effective treatment can be performed within those first minutes, lives can be saved and disability reduced.”

She added: “These pieces of kit really do have the potential to help to save more lives and are an important asset to communities.”

Town centre warden Adam Barlow, security guard Andrew Heath, cleaner Roy Hughes and office worker Laura France used a public defibrillator to restart the market customer’s heart in the 2014 incident.

Defibrillators work by delivering a controlled electric shock to the heart, allowing it to naturally return to a normal rhythm.

More than 50 of the kits have been provided as part of the Rotherham Heart Town project involving YAS, Rotherham Borough Council and the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Lauren Mallinson, BHF fundraising manager, said: “More than 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital every year but less than one in ten survive. 

“More people could be saved if more defibrillators were available in public places and if more people felt confident using them and performing CPR.”

Cllr Ken Wyatt said: “Rotherham has been leading the field in public access to defibrillators over the last few years and we now have an extensive network of them in town centre buildings.”