A new Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) has been installed outside the YMCA in Highbridge, after a resident raised concerns regarding the lack of access to this vital equipment.

The lifesaving equipment was purchased by Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Town Council using monies from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL).

Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Town Council would like to thank the YMCA Dulverton Group for their help and support in allowing the defibrillator to be installed on the Huntspill Road building. The vital equipment can be used to help people who are in cardiac arrest.  Members of the public can deliver defibrillation to a cardiac arrest victim before the arrival of the emergency services – this can lead to substantially improved survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.  The device comes with clear instructions and it analyses and looks for a shockable heart rhythm.  It then advises the rescuer and it delivers a shock if needed.