Transport for Wales (TfW) is continuing its rollout of life-saving defibrillators at stations across the Wales and Borders rail network.

The work is the latest phase of plans to install over 200 defibrillators at stations and in communities throughout Wales and the borders, which began in February 2022.

Defibrillators are important portable life-saving devices that can give a casualty’s heart an electric shock when it has stopped beating, normally in a sudden cardiac arrest.

According to British Heart Foundation Cymru, there are around 2,800 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Wales each year, but just one in 20 people survive.

Survival rates fall by 10% every minute without CPR or by using a defibrillator and using a defibrillator within three minutes of a cardiac arrest can improve a person's chance of survival by as much as 70%.

Once ready for use, the defibrillators will be registered on the British Heart Foundation’s bespoke portal, called The Circuit, in partnership with St John Ambulance, the Resuscitation Council UK and the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives.

The Circuit maps out defibrillators for NHS ambulance services across the UK so in the crucial moments after a cardiac arrest, they can swiftly direct members of the public to the nearest defibrillator.

Locally, Haverfordwest, Kilgetty, Manorbier, Milford Haven, Narberth, Pembroke,Tenby and Whitland railway stations will be receiving defibrillators.

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Lisa Cleminson, Transport for Wales’ stations director, said: “We’re proud to be rolling out defibrillators across the Wales and Borders network. These yellow boxes are vitally important in helping those who experience a cardiac arrest, be they TfW customers, colleagues or someone in the local community.

“We already have defibrillators in many of our stations across our network, and these additional new machines will become a valuable life-saving resource.”

“We’re encouraging customers and community to support us in keeping this equipment safe and secure by being vigilant and reporting any incidences of vandalism immediately to British Transport Police by texting 61016.”