Portsmouth gets six new public defibrillators fitted to help people save people having a heart attack

The public access defibrillators have been fitted outside libraries, toilets, sporting facilities and city council offices.

It’s part of a major drive to help improve Portsmouth’s life-saving facilities and has been supported by businesses, who helped stump up the cash to pay for some of the new additions.

The yellow-coloured defibrillators have been fitted to places with high footfall, with new devices now based at the civic offices, in Guildhall Square, Landport housing office, North End library, Southsea library, Albert Road toilets and Southsea Tennis Club.

Three of the defibrillators were bought by businesses, including Drift Bar, the Northcote Hotel and Southsea Tennis Club. Liberty Group also helped to install five of the devices for free.

Councillor Matthew Winnington, health and wellbeing boss at Portsmouth City Council, said the new items were ‘fantastic’ and praised businesses for their support.

He added: ‘Sudden cardiac arrest luckily isn’t a daily occurrence in the city but by increasing the availability of defibrillators, and people who are confident to use them, it will help to reduce deaths and complications should someone experience this.’

The boxes are easy to use and provide step-by-step instructions on how to work them.

Three more public defibrillators are due to be fitted shortly at Eastney’s Coffee Cup, PCMI in Cosham and the Royal British Legion in Fratton.

South Central Ambulance Service also has a Save a Life app showing where all the local defibrillators, inside and outside of buildings, are.