Dacorum councillors can help community groups claim up to £1,200 for a defibrillator

Life-saving medical devices designed to help someone suffering from cardiac arrest will soon by more widely available across Hertfordshire.

Hertfordshire County Council has teamed up with charity London Hearts to give each one of its 78 county councillors the chance to help one community group in their division to claim up to £1,200 to purchase the vital equipment.

Defibrillators are devices that deliver a high energy electric shock to the heart, which in some types of cardiac arrest may help to restore stable rhythm to the person who experienced it.

Research shows that with effective and speedy delivery of treatment, the survival rate of cardiac arrest sufferers can be raised to 70 percent.

Councillor Morris Bright MBE, executive member for public health and community safety, said: “We are delighted to be working with London Hearts to make this vital equipment available to communities across Hertfordshire.

“Having a defibrillator available in an emergency can be life-saving, especially in rural areas where it may take emergency services longer to reach.”

London Hearts support communities with the provision of this form of equipment. The defibrillators offered by London Hearts are easy and safe to use by anyone with little or no training. Other suppliers can be also used for this initiative.