As a community we are desperate for a life saving defib.

Each year in Britain around 30,000 people are struck by sudden cardiac arrest outside of hospital environments. They can affect anyone at any time – from young children at school, to adults when they’re at home, work or out in public places.

If victims aren’t treated properly, more often than not, cardiac arrests are fatal. The British Heart Foundation’s figures show that only one in ten victims survive. There are a couple of reasons for this sorry figure – namely the lack of education and training.

The figures below really underline the horrific impact cardiac arrests have on victims, especially the families of young children who suffer an attack.

12 people under the age of 35 die each week from sudden cardiac arrest

270 children die from sudden cardiac arrest suffered on school premises

Of the the 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest alluded to at the start of the post, 80 per cent happen at home and another 20 per cent occur in public places where, due to a lack of proximity to defibrillators, the victim is at most risk of death.

Whenever cardiac arrest strikes, there is absolutely no time to lose.

Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces a victim’s survival rate by 7 to 10 per cent

They’re that important.

Without immediate treatment, 90-95 per cent of cardiac arrests prove fatal

If a defibrillator is used within 3-5 minutes of cardiac arrest, survival rates jump from 6 per cent to 74 per cent