Theft and vandalism of defibrillators in Wales 'putting lives at risk'

Theft and vandalism of defibrillators in Wales 'putting lives at risk'

The Welsh Ambulance Trust says at least eight defibrillators had been stolen or damaged in the past year

The Welsh Ambulance Trust has warned that lives are being put at risk due to people stealing and vandalising defibrillators.

Speaking to the BBC, the trust said that at least eight defibrillators had been stolen or damaged in the past year.

St John Ambulance Cymru said that less than 5% of people who had a cardiac arrest outside of hospital will survive, but if a defibrillator is used within three minutes, that number rises to 70%.

A defibrillator works by administering an electric shock to the heart. If someone’s heart has stopped beating normally due to a sudden cardiac arrest, it can shock it back into normal rhythms, which can potentially save their life.

Security measures such as locking the equipment in cabinets can lead to delays in an emergency, and for every minute no action is taken, the survival rate drops 10%.

Public Access Defibrillators (PADS) support officer for Welsh Ambulance Trust, Tomos Hughes, speaking to the BBC, said: "It makes me feel very, very angry and very sad. Vandalism is basically putting lives at risk.

"I don't think they understand the consequences. If something was to happen to a member of their family, how would they feel when if they call 999 and were sent to retrieve a defibrillator and there wasn't one available because it had been vandalised in their community?"

Hughes said that there had already been incidents in the past year where defibrillators were needed yet couldn’t be used by the public as they’d been stolen or were offline due to vandalism.

The BBC also spoke to cardiac arrest survivor Alan Mathias, 69. His cardiac arrest happened three years ago, when he was playing badminton at a leisure centre.

Luckily, a doctor who was playing in the next court gave him CPR, and leisure centre staff fetched a defibrillator.

Mathias said: "I had no warning, nothing at all. The last thing I remember is seeing the floor coming towards my face.

"I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the defib.

"To think that people may steal them or vandalise them is just incredible."

Mathias went on to say he knew of a case where a defibrillator was vandalised in Mold, Flintshire, where his cardiac arrest happened.

"They caught the culprit, and he realised his mistake when someone who had been saved by a defib told him their story."

Since his cardiac arrest, Mathias has worked with Calon Hearts, a charity that aims to get more defibrillators into communities, businesses, and schools. The charity also provides CPR training and heart screening.

Calon Hearts is based in Cardiff and was founded by Sharon Owen nine years ago. Since then, it has placed 13,000 defibrillators across Wales.

Owen told the BBC: "Because in the society we live in sadly, defibrillators are getting stolen or vandalised. If people only realised how important defibrillators are, it could be needed by their grandma, grandpa, mum or dad.

"It's sad to see that and I've seen a lot of instances where that's been happening.

"People have been fundraising for these machines, they're not cheap."

According to Owen, incidents where defibrillators have been stolen include one being taken from Bridgend train station, and another being taken from a church in Vale of Glamorgan and thrown into a river.

While the charity advises defibrillators should be placed in unlocked cabinets, for ease of use, people were putting codes on them due to fears of theft or vandalism. This can cause problems when an emergency arises.

"If the internet isn't good or they can't ring 999 to get the code, that person is going to die."

According to St John Ambulance Cymru, education around defibrillators could help reduce instances of theft or vandalism.

Training manager, Kimberley Low, agreed that locked cabinets could cause problems.

"This can cause a delay in an emergency situation where every second counts. Survival rates fall by 10% for every minute that goes by without action being taken," she told the BBC.

"Increasing public knowledge about the devices would lead to greater appreciation for their importance at the heart of local communities and ultimately a reduction in the instances of theft."

The BBC also spoke to Adam Fletcher, head of British Heart Foundation Cymru, who said it was important to register defibrillators in Wales with the national defibrillator network. This means if someone calls 999 to report a cardiac arrest, the nearest machine can be located.

Calon Hearts, a charity that aims to get more defibrillators into communities, businesses, and schools. The charity also provides CPR training and heart screening.

Calon Hearts has placed 13,000 defibrillators across Wales.