A GROUP of volunteer life savers are diving into support the Welsh Ambulance Service’s #Defibuary campaign.

The Surf Life Saving Association Wales (SLSA Wales) will register all their defibrillators on the UK national database – The Circuit – so they are available for public use 24/7.

SLSA Wales is also adding extra defibrillation training to their existing first aid training package.

#Defibuary is an annual online drive which aims to:

  • Familiarise the public with the symptoms of heart attack and cardiac arrest;
  • Ensure the public knows how to treat these emergencies;
  • Boost public access defibrillators and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).

Chair of SLSA Wales Lifesaving Committee, Hugh Murray, said:

“Making our defibrillators available to the public and bolting on more defibrillator training

demonstrates our commitment to supporting the Welsh Ambulance Service and helping to save lives around the coast of Wales.

“A cardiac arrest can occur at any time without warning, and we encourage all our members to engage in continuous first aid training to ensure our volunteers are always ready to respond in a medical emergency.

“We are backing the #Defibuary campaign this year as usual and would encourage all other community groups to follow suit throughout the year with checking and improving their life-saving abilities.”

Surf Life Saving originated in Australia in the early 1900s – it was introduced to Wales in the late 1950s and now sees clubs patrolling 30 beaches around Wales where paid-for lifeguards are not available.

The Welsh Ambulance Service works in conjunction with The Circuit to have access to a live database that is called upon to find the nearest available defibrillator in an emergency.

The Service currently has access to 6,047 registered public access defibrillators across Wales.

Around 2,700 of these PADS are without a ‘guardian’ – someone who looks after and checks the condition of them – changing batteries and pads after use – to ensure they are always ‘rescue ready’.

People can register to become a guardian by visiting The Circuit defibrillator registration network.