Transport for Wales to install defibrillators across network

Defibrillators will be installed at stations like Llandudno

Transport for Wales (TfW) is set to install up to 200 life-saving defibrillators at its railway stations across the Wales and Borders network.

The scheme will see defibrillators fitted at more than 80 per cent of TfW stations over the next 18 months, which the transport operator says will be accessible to the public 24 hours a day.

Defibrillators are a portable device that can give a casualty’s heart an electric shock when it has stopped beating, normally in a sudden cardiac arrest. The London Ambulance Service delivering at least one shock from a defibrillator can boost out-of-hospital cardiac arrest chances to around 57.1 per cent.  

Their importance has been highlighted following the use of a defibrillator during the Denmark versus Finland match at the European Championships, when Danish player Christian Eriksen collapsed with a suspected cardiac arrest.

“We have long recognised how important defibrillators can be as a life-saving tool, so we’re delighted to now be in a position to install these devices across the Wales and Borders network,” said Karl Gilmore, Transport for Wales Rail Infrastructure Director.

“The safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority and as part of work with the provider Aero Healthcare, our staff will be offered training on how to use the defibrillators.

“We want to make the Wales and Borders network the safest in the UK and an important part of this is having the right facilities at our stations to help people in the case of an emergency.

“We are also working with various healthcare colleagues and charities, who are helping us plan how we can provide training on this life-saving equipment, deep into our communities.”

The defibrillators will also be registered with The Circuit, the national defibrillator network and the ambulance service.