Fifers now have access to life-saving equipment

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) crews teamed-up with East Neuk Responders, Police Scotland, Glenrothes High School and Glenrothes Neighbourhood Safety Group to make public access defibrillators available at Cluny Clays, CISWO and the Polish club in Kirkcaldy.

The defibrillators – which are used to restart the heart when someone suffers a cardiac arrest – will provide the local community with instant access to potentially life-saving equipment.

Andy Bennett, Station Manager at Glenrothes fire station, said: “When someone goes into cardiac arrest their heart is not pumping properly and every passing second could mean the difference between life and death.

“It happens to around 3,500 people in Scotland every year but only one in 20 live to return home.

“We are proud to install these three defibrillators at Cluny Clays, CISWO and the Polish club in Kirkcaldy, which are now readily available to all members of the community and could potentially save a life.

“Anyone can use a Public Access Defibrillator with no formal training required and we would encourage members of the community to find out more about defibs.”

Gillian Duncan from East Neuk First Responders said: “The installation of defibs will ultimately lead to more lives being saved in the Glenrothes area. It is fantastic what they have achieved so far with the close partnership work between the SFRS and these local community groups.”

Local woman Zena Hyndman said: “I first became involved with the East Neuk First Responders due to the death of my husband Jim, in March 2018.

“He sufferred a massive heart attack at the age of 61. We were at home at the time with no access to a Defibrillator.

“When my family and I decided to raise money for a Defibrillator, local bands started to donate their gig money as Jim was a very well-known and respected musician and the first defib was purchased for Burnturk village hall where Jim often played.”

This comes as firefighters throughout Scotland continue to help people to learn CPR through a partnership between SFRS and the British Heart Foundation which. The launch of this partnership in 2015 saw the charity donate CPR training kits to every fire station in Scotland.

The idea is to help build a nation of life-savers by offering communities the opportunity to teach themselves CPR.

Anyone can contact their local fire station and agree a date and time to use the self-teach DVD and manikin at any of the country’s 356 fire stations

Station Manager Bennett added: “We would encourage everyone to come forward and learn how to perform CPR.

“Defibrillators are a key mechanism in the chain of survival for someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest, but performing immediate CPR can keep oxygen circulating around the body until the arrival of medical professionals or a defibrillator.

“That’s why it’s so important for as many people as possible to be trained in CPR. By taking just a little time out of your day to learn this skill you could end up saving someone’s life.

“The training is completely free of charge and typically takes around one hour to complete.”