TRAFFIC police on Merseyside are being armed with a new piece of life-saving kit.
The North West Ambulance Service has donated 30 defibrilators to Merseyside Police's roads policing department and trained traffic officers how to use them.
The aim is to give them the tools they need – before paramedics arrive -to help save someone's life at the scene of a traffic collision until paramedics arrive.
The 'Automated External Defibrilators' (AEDs) can increase the chances of survival for a person who has suffered a sudden cardiac arrest by 40 per cent.
The equipment is small and portable and can be used to check a person's heart rhythm. If the rhythm indicates a cardiac arrest, the defibrilator sends an electric shock to the heart to restore a normal rhythm.
Crucial
A sudden cardiac arrest is fatal in 95 per cent of cases but rapid use of a defibrilator can be life-saving.
Inspector Joe Danher from the roads policing unit, said: "Time is absolutely crucial in treating someone suffering cardiac arrest and it can come down to a matter of seconds whether someone lives or dies.
"Police officers often arrive at the scene of serious incident first and having a defibrilator in their police car will really help them give basic but potentially life-saving treatment before the medical experts arrive.
Robert Sharples, Community Resuscitation Development Officer, North West Ambulance Service, said: "Over the past 12 months there were 22,740 cardiac-related incidents in Merseyside, so this is a great opportunity for the police and ambulance service to work together to save lives.”
