Firm donates defibrillator after reading about car theft

Joy Taggart, Heart Sine, presents a defibrillator to Con Michael Allen, Lurgan PSNI Neighbourhood Team. INLM28-136gc

Belfast based HeartSine Technologies kindly donated the defibrillator to the original owner after one was stolen from Avenue Road in June.

Joy Taggart, Global Inside sales manager at HeartSine, immediately contacted us when she read that the stolen bag was discarded, but the defibrillator had been taken.

Joy said: “Working for a company which manufactures defibrillators and knowing that having one really can make the difference between life and death, I was extremely saddened to hear that one had been stolen.

“Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) kills 270 people every single day in the UK and can happen to absolutely anyone, regardless of age or fitness levels, at any time.

“The use of a defibrillator, combined with Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) increases the SCA survival rate to over 70%, compared to less than just 5% with CPR alone.”

Joy said: “As soon as I read the article, I contacted the news team at the Lurgan Mail who provided the details of the Lurgan Neighbourhood Policing Team.

“From there, we arranged for HeartSine to donate a replacement device which has since been accepted by the PSNI on the owner’s behalf and presented to her.

“I am delighted that by working together, HeartSine, the Lurgan Mail and the PSNI, have achieved a positive outcome.”

Constable Michael Allen, of Lurgan Neighbourhood Policing Team, who accepted the replacement defibrillator on the owner’s behalf, said: “We are happy to accept this defibrillator on the owner’s behalf after the kind donation from HeartSine. The owner is extremely grateful.

“That said, the stolen defibrillator has not yet been recovered and I would appeal for anyone with information to contact us.”

More people die of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in the UK than from lung cancer, breast cancer and AIDS combined. Many of these deaths could be prevented by ensuring access to defibrillators.

HeartSine manufactured devices, which are produced in more than 23 languages and already deployed in over 40 countries throughout the world, talk the responder through the entire ‘save’ process. This means they can be used by absolutely anyone, with little or even no first aid training, until medical professionals arrive on site.