Devon Air Ambulance has installed a potentially life-saving defibrillator outside the Kingsbridge charity shop in a bid to help save lives.

Cardiac incidents are the number one reason for Devon Air Ambulance being called to help by the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) and so far, this year the charity’s specialist medical crews have attended 340 patients suffering cardiac-related incidents across the county. The charity’s mission is to deliver exemplary time-critical care and they continue to do so, by land and by air every day of the year.

Available for use 24/7, the new installation in Kingsbridge is the first of many as the charity has plans to install a defibrillator at each of their 19 high street charity shop locations across the county in the coming months. The defibrillators have been purchased using funds awarded as part of the Department of Health and Social Care Grant that also funded the charity’s two rapid response Critical Care Cars in 2020.

Devon Air Ambulance Head of Communications, Charlotte Leventis said:

‘We are thrilled to be able to install our first defibrillator outside our shop in Kingsbridge. We are pleased to announce that this is just stage one in our commitment to help raise awareness of defibrillators and more importantly, to give those in the local community the confidence to be able to use one should the need arise.

In the New Year we will launch a campaign based on the biggest incident type that we respond to, which is cardiac incidents, and will be engaging with people locally to show them how anyone can use a defibrillator to help a person in need of immediate help and hopefully save a life.’

Councillor Mike Jennings of Kingsbridge Town Council added:

‘The installation of a new defibrillator in the Kingsbridge community is wonderful news and something much needed in and around the town. It is such a vital piece of equipment required if someone is suffering a cardiac arrest and there have been situations in our town when this sort of life saving equipment could have been used to help someone. Knowing the whereabouts of this defibrillator situated at the Devon Air Ambulance charity shop will hopefully give people peace of mind and the confidence to help someone.’

As Devon Air Ambulance approaches its 30th anniversary in 2022, Charlotte extends her gratitude to supporters:

“It is thanks to the charity’s supporters in the communities we serve that our patients are ‘in Good Hands’ at a range of incidents that our crews will attend over the Christmas period and throughout the year.”

Those seeking to support the charity in their lifesaving work can donate to Devon Air Ambulance’s Christmas appeal today at www.daat.org/Appeal/in-good-hands-this-christmas .