Firms urged to buy defibrillator

Ambulance chiefs said the kit could help to save lives

Businesses in Gloucestershire are being urged to have a defibrillator in the work place and train staff to use them.

The equipment administers a shock to restore a heart's normal rhythm, until professional help arrives.

The Mend a Heart drive was launched by the county's St John Ambulance and the Great Western Ambulance Service.

They said the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) could greatly increase the chances of saving the life of a heart attack victim.

Kim George, commercial training officer for St John Ambulance, said: "This equipment is relatively inexpensive and you cannot put a cost on saving someone's life.

"Clinical evidence has shown that staff who are given additional skills in how to use an AED and who have an AED on site, have the potential to reduce the chance of death following a cardiac arrest."

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