WATCH: Life-saving defibrillator packs can make difference

NHS figures show that the number of those who live after an out-of-hospital attacks can be as low as 10 per cent.

Experts say this can be vastly improved with emergency defibrillators located around cities to be used by people in the street to resuscitate them.

With 100,000 people dying from sudden cardiac arrest in Britain every year, the need to act is great.

That is why the Express & Star today launches its #heartsafe15 campaign to raise £57,000 to fund 25 defibrillators over the next eight weeks that will be located around Wolverhampton city centre.

But those who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest could have their chances of surviving increased by five times if a defibrillator is used in the first few minutes. An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is an emergency life-saving device that can be used by anyone to restart the heart when sudden cardiac arrest strikes.

When someone collapses in the street from a cardiac arrest you should immediately call 999.

The ambulance service will tell you where the nearest AED is located and how to access it. The device is fully portable and gives the heart an electrical charge to establish a regular heartbeat. The AED will only shock when necessary.

When turned on, it will instruct the user to connect the pads to the person's bare chest.

The steps are as followed:

1 All clothing should be removed, including undergarments because these can interfere with the electrical signal.

The pads allow the AED to examine their heart and determine if they require a shock.

2 If the device determines a shock is required, it will charge up in preparation to deliver a shock. The AED is completely safe as it will only deliver a charge when it determines a shockable rhythm is present.

3 When charged, the device instructs the person to ensure no-one is touching the victim and then to press a button to deliver the shock.

4 In the case of a fully automatic AED the unit will advise the user that it will deliver the shock without further intervention.

Using defibrillators in the first few minutes of an arrest, the chances of resuscitating someone can increase by 70 per cent.

We have teamed up with defibrillator fundraisers AEDdonate to launch our campaign.

Fundraiser Jamie Richards said: "We are inviting businesses, schools, colleges and community organisations to save local lives.

"By donating and installing a defibrillator in a publicly-accessible location, together we can ensure that people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest get the immediate treatment that could well make the difference between life and death. The majority can be saved if they have access to a defibrillator within the first 10 minutes of their cardiac arrest.

"Publicly-accessible defibrillators can give sudden cardiac arrest patients a fighting chance in the vital minutes before an ambulance crew arrives at the scene. Immediate treatment with a defibrillator can make the difference between life and death. In fact, immediate defibrillation combined with CPR can result in survival rates of more than 50 per cent.

"If just 57,000 people donate £1 we can have these in place and saving lives in Wolverhampton."

Cardiac arrest is different from a heart attack. The heart suffers an electrical malfunction, which causes it to beat irregularly. Casualties become unconscious and lose a pulse within seconds and can die within minutes unless they receive treatment. A heart attack is triggered by a loss of blood flow through a blocked artery.

The defibrillators will be placed in a waterproof, secure cabinet and placed anywhere people gather. The cabinet is protected with a pin code. This code is provided by a member of the emergency services as soon as a call to 999 is made and the location of the public-access defibrillator provided. These defibrillators are logged on the national database.

Our #heartsafe15 campaign is backed by West Midlands Ambulance Service and Wolverhampton City Council.

Over the next eight weeks we will be calling on readers, businesses, and groups to make a donation to our #heartsafe15 campaign.

Getting involved could not be easier.

Next Friday our partners AEDdonate are encouraging businesses to take part in Wear Something Crazy Day.

You can also give by text message by texting 'AEDW50' to 70070 followed by how much you want to donate.

Alternatively you can make an online donation by going to www.crowdfunder.co.uk/wolverhampton-aed-campaign.

We are also encouraging people to engage in the campaign by tweeting us with the hashtag #heartsafe15.

Fundraiser Jamie Richards said: "It really is simple to get involved and donate to the campaign.

"A donation of just £1 will help make a difference in Wolverhampton."

Businesses or groups wanting to get involved and wanting further details can call AEDdonate on

Paramedic and community defibrillator facilitator for the ambulance service Lee Farley said: "We fully support the Express & Star and AEDdonate in working with local businesses and residents and placing more defibrillators, making Wolverhampton a safer place to work, visit and live.

"As an ambulance service we are passionate about saving lives. We can only do our best and sometimes, due to no fault of our own, we can be restricted in getting to the patient. By having this life-saving equipment on scene, it can only benefit the patient, and assist us when we arrive. This is a campaign that will save lives."

If the campaign is successful, we plan to bring similar campaigns to elsewhere in the Black Country and Staffordshire.

Shaun Ingram, managing director of defibrillator manufacturer Cardiac Science UK, said: "There is a desperate need to save lives in the UK by ensuring that publicly accessible defibrillators are available on our high streets, in our schools and colleges and throughout other community facilities.

"Only by taking urgent action can we help to reduce the current 100,000 person death toll from sudden cardiac arrest. We would encourage every local business – large or small – to get involved and put themselves at the heart of their communities." To help fundraise, AEDdonate are encouraging businesses to take part in Wear something Crazy Day on July 3 and make donations.

For more information you can call 01785 472 224.

To donate please visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/wolverhampton-aed-campaign