Firefighters from Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service joined Sefton councillors Lynne Thompson and Fred Weavers this Valentine’s Day in distributing signs to Southport shops and businesses to help inform people where their nearest defibrillator can be found.
The ‘Save A Heart’ initiative – the first of its kind on Merseyside – saw fire crews and councillors team up to give out potentially life-saving signs – funded by Sefton Council – to town centre outlets, including those on Lord Street and along the Promenade.
Business owners were also offered the chance to attend awareness sessions at Southport Community Fire & Ambulance Station to learn how to use a defibrillator and find out about basic life support skills and CPR.
A defibrillator is a device that gives a high-energy electric shock to the heart through the chest wall to someone who is in cardiac arrest.
Station Manager Steve Pang, from MFRS, conceived the Save A Heart signage scheme and secured funding from Sefton Council after presenting his idea to councillors. If the signs prove successful, more could be rolled out across Merseyside.
He said: “During cardiac arrest defibrillators are vital to a patient’s survival, therefore it’s important for residents and visitors to know exactly where they are so as they can be quickly located in the case of a medical emergency.
“Sefton Council has generously funded these signs, which we hope businesses will display in windows to show people where their nearest defibrillator is.
“It is great to have the support of Sefton Council, and for our crews to be working alongside Sefton councillors in delivering these signs to the Southport community. This is the first initiative of its kind in Merseyside and we hope it will eventually be rolled out across the county to help save as many lives as possible.”
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “We are delighted to be working alongside Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service to help residents and businesses across Southport to ‘Save A Heart.’
“Knowledge of where to find a defibrillator in an emergency could prove the difference between life and death and we hope that businesses will take the time to display these signs clearly and prominently to help others.”
OTS News on Social Media