New lifesaving defibrillator installed at Cupar Trading Estate in memory of a colleague

Following the tragic death of a member of their team, Fife Council Building Services staff Garry Hegg and Roddy Sneddon led the campaign to help buy and install a defibrillator at the Cupar Trading Estate.
By John A. MacInnes
Published 21st Jan 2022, 14:36 BST
Roddy Sneddon (left) and Garry Hegg (right) With the new defibrillator.Roddy Sneddon (left) and Garry Hegg (right) With the new defibrillator.
Roddy Sneddon (left) and Garry Hegg (right) With the new defibrillator.

Garry said, “Following the loss of one of our teammates as a result of a heart attack, it was clear there wasn’t enough community defibrillators in the area.

“We’re delighted that we’ve been able to raise enough money to be able to install the Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) at the Trading Estate.”

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Roddy added: “The new AED is a community access device registered with The CIRCUIT national Defibrillator Network. This means that if you call 999 to request help for a cardiac arrest you’ll be advised of its location and given the access code for the lock on the box.

“The beauty about this is that there’s no training necessary, it’s a fully automatic system which prompts you exactly what to do with voice commands. This means that anyone will be able to use it so all members of the community will be able to access it if required.”

The Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a small machine which can deliver an electrical charge and shocks a patient’s heart into restarting when needed.

A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time. According to St Andrew’s First Aid charity, using a defibrillator and CPR within the first few minutes of a person suffering an arrest, while professional help is on its way, can increase the chances of a patient’s survival substantially and potentially save a life.

Related topics:CPR