THE British Heart Foundation has thrown a lifeline by presenting 90 defibrillators to Dorset Ambulance Service.

The charity is working closely with the Department of Health to increase numbers of automated machines available in the community - and people trained in emergency life support.

The donation, made possible through a £6 million grant from the Big Lottery Fund, will enable ambulance services throughout the country to place defibrillators in public places.

Locations in Dorset include Bournemouth, Poole, Dorchester and Weymouth railway stations; Moors Valley Country Park; Monkey World and Bournemouth International Centre.

At the moment, seven out of 10 cardiac arrests happen outside hospital and at the moment, only two to three per cent of those people survive. Having a defibrillator close at hand can increase their chances by more than a third.

The machines work by delivering a controlled electric shock through the chest wall to restore a normal heartbeat.

Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who was himself revived by a mobile defibrillator after collapsing at Bristol Airport last year, said: "I feel very lucky to be alive, because the truth is that most people who suffer a cardiac arrest are not in hospital surrounded by doctors, but at home or in public places.

"Many do not survive because life-saving equipment simply does not come quickly enough."

Dorset is one of 31 ambulance trusts in England to successfully apply for a share of 2,285 defibrillators. The funding will also pay for training equipment and the post of community defibrillation officer in each trust.

Their job will be to train volunteer lifesavers, called community responders, who can be sent by ambulance control to incidents of cardiac arrest. Anyone interested in becoming a responder should contact Dorset Ambulance Service on 01202 896111.

First published: September 11