Help Bristol find homes for 27 fully funded lifesaving defibs

40 installed. 27 to go!

Help Bristol find homes for these fully funded lifesaving defibs

Earlier this year, a member of the public rushed to help someone suffering a cardiac arrest near City Hall in Bristol. They opened the bright green and blue cabinet, grabbed the defibrillator from the Bristol City Council building wall and took it to where the patient was. As bystanders started lifesaving CPR, our crew quickly travelled to the scene, landed on College Green and helped treat the patient, before travelling with them to hospital.

Thankfully, the patient survived and was discharged. It’s a powerful reminder of how crucial quick action and access to defibrillators can be.

What’s also fantastic about this story is that it all unfolded at the place where our collaboration with Bristol City Council began. Last summer they awarded funding for public defibs to help improve outcomes for the thousands of people who suffer cardiac arrests in the city every year.

Why it matters

A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. So far this year, around 25% of Great Western Air Ambulance Charity’s (GWAAC) call-outs to Bristol have been for cardiac arrests.

Sadly, Bristol has fewer public defibrillators than similar cities and the gap is widest in more deprived areas. What happens before emergency services arrive, including defib use, often makes the difference between life and death. Those first minutes are critical — effective CPR and defibrillation can boost survival chances from less than 10% to over 70%.

Our mapping tool highlights some areas where an extra defibrillator could make a real difference including Hartcliffe, Avonmouth, Stockwood, Upper Knowle and Brislington. These are just examples though. Gaps exist in communities across the city and every additional defib brings lifesaving equipment closer to the people who need it most.

Making real progress: 40 defibs installed. 27 to go.

That’s why Bristol City Council’s funding for public defibrillators has been vital. Thanks to this support, 40 publicly accessible defibs have already been installed across the city — outside pubs, churches, community centres, workplaces and more, and these devices are already proving their worth:

• At City Hall: The defibrillator has been used twice in a single week. Volunteer Ellen Hitchins replaced the pads immediately, so it was ready for the next emergency — which happened the very next day.

• At Oldbury Court: Local campaigner, Kate Spreadsbury, from Friends of Oldbury Court had been pushing for a defib for years. Sadly, someone suffered a cardiac arrest near the proposed site before it was installed. Now, thanks to this initiative, the area is protected and the device has already been used twice.

Kate says: “Since installation, the defibrillator has been used twice in emergency incidents, proving its worth to everyone in the park and the immediate community. We are supported by our ongoing relationship with GWAAC. We have learned that looking after our community is not just about getting a piece of equipment, it’s also about having a long-term relationship with an organisation that is passionate and determined to make lifesaving equipment available to everyone.”

27 more to go – how you can help

While 40 new defibrillators are now ready to help communities across Bristol, 27 more still need homes where they can make a big difference. Coverage remains limited in many parts of the city and our mapping tool has highlighted some areas where an extra defib could make a huge difference — but every additional defibrillator helps. Any group, business or community space in Bristol can apply for one of the remaining funded devices.

Thanks to funding from Bristol City Council and the Sam Polledri Foundation, communities can request a fully funded defib and cabinet — but they need to do it soon because applications close at the end of October. All you need is a suitable location and a friendly electrician (or we can help arrange installation).

Here’s how you can help in three simple steps:

1. Check what’s near you
   Visit Defib Finder and enter the postcodes where you work, live and spend time. Filter for ‘24/7’, ‘Public’ and ‘Available Now’. If your nearest defib is more than a 200 metre walk away, go to step 2.
2. Choose a location
   Think: pub, café, shop, library, office or village hall. Get landlord permission or pass us their contact details. Bonus: find a volunteer to do simple monthly checks to keep the device ‘emergency ready’.
3. Apply
   Fill in our Expression of Interest form. It takes just 5–10 minutes and could save lives in your area.

Act fast — funding closes at the end of October!

Thank You, Bristol

Thanks to this incredible community effort, thousands more people across the city now live, work and travel within reach of a lifesaving defibrillator and hundreds more have learned how to use one confidently.

Caroline Kivungi, GWAAC Defibrillator Officer, sums it up:

“The scale of what’s been achieved in Bristol is nothing short of amazing. Behind every defibrillator is a story of people coming together, determined to protect their neighbours and communities. We’re deeply grateful for the commitment and kindness shown.”

With 40 installed and 27 to go, let’s find homes for them all, one defib at a time, and make Bristol one of the safest cities in the UK for cardiac arrest survival.