Residents in two north-east fishing towns finally have 24-hour access to life-saving defibrillators following a community campaign.
Banff and Macduff Community Council have been working on a life-saving initiative throughout 2015 and now two defibrillators have been installed.
The first is on the outside wall of the Lighthouse Fish Bar on Banff’s High Street.
In case of emergency in Macduff, the public access defibrillator is on the wall of the shipyard.
Last night community council chairman Ian Williams said: “It is a sad fact that more people die every year from a cardiac arrest than die in fires; yet we are all so used to seeing a fire extinguisher that they are an accepted piece of safety equipment to be found all over the place.
“The aim of the project is get defibrillators just as accepted – and to make them widely available for those who, unfortunately, may need them in a hurry.”
However, Mr Williams said the defibrillators – which were paid for by donations and grant funding – are not “magic machines” and that life has to be preserved until the defibrillator can get to a patient.
He said the most crucial factor is cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which gives someone who has suffered a sudden cardiac arrest the best chance of survival.
Figures show that only 43% of cardiac arrest patients receive CPR from bystanders.
As part of the community council’s ongoing health and safety drive, three volunteers are now accredited as British Heart Foundation instructors in Banff and Macduff and can train other volunteers at a series of free workshops in the two towns.
Mr Williams said the courses will be advertised locally on social media. Alternatively, volunteers can contact bandm.hearstart.foch@gmail.com