Ports join life-saving scheme

Tuesday 12 May 2015

Jersey's ports are giving people better access to machines that could help save their lives.

There's now a defibrillator on the wall outside departures at the Airport and one being installed this week at the Harbour.

A number of the machines are now on the outside of buildings across the Island as part of the “Liberate our Defibrillators” scheme – driven by the Health department, Ambulance Service and St John’s Ambulance.

Green Watch Manager for Jersey Airport Fire & Rescue Service Alan Bertram said: “After a cardiac arrest, every minute without CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and defibrillation reduces someone's survival by 10%. So we hope by improving public access to our defibrillators, which are simple and safe enough to use without prior training, it will help save lives.” 

The machines are locked up and anyone needing to use one will be given a code to access it from the emergency services once they've rung 999.

Another defibrillator will be fitted at the Marine Leisure Centre if it's given the go ahead from Planning to put one on the listed building.