New app to help you locate life-saving equipment

Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) NHS Trust is launching the Save a Life app to raise awareness of where the devices can be found in an emergency.

Originally developed by South Central Ambulance Service, the app has recently been updated to feature 1,288 registered Yorkshire AEDs.

Save a Life is iOS and Android compatible and free to download, using GPS to show the location of the nearest defibrillator from wherever the user is in Yorkshire.

The location of each AED on the map has been verified by Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

The app also provides video guidance on how to perform CPR on someone having a heart attack.

It is designed to make people aware of their nearest AED — as well as highlighting communities which do not have one.

Paul Stevens, YAS head of community resilience, said: “There has been a staggering increase in the number of AEDs across Yorkshire.

“Four years ago there were 100 and today there are 1,288.

“We would encourage members of the public to proactively use the app to locate their nearest AED so that they can be prepared for an emergency situation.

“We also hope that communities which don’t have the life-saving kit will consider purchasing one via the various funding streams available.”

The service emphasises that app users should still dial 999 in an emergency, receiving details of the nearest AED and a code needed to access it.

Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops pumping blood around the body and to the brain.

The earlier a patient can receive CPR and a shock from a defibrillator, the greater their chance of survival.

Visit bit.ly/2vh6tiW to download the app for Google devices, or apple.co/2viFEel to download for Apple devices.

An AED and its secure storage cabinet cost around £1,400.

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service Charity provides part-funding grants for the kit, along with various other organisations including the British Heart Foundation.