The brother-in-law of a young Livingston man who passed away from cardiac arrest five years ago has backed calls from West Lothian Council to create a network of defibrillators across the county.
Ally Fleming, whose brother-in-law Paul Lynas tragically died aged just 37 in 2017 says such a network would be “potentially life-saving” and says it is “vital” that defibrillators are registered.
Mr Fleming, who has raised more than £70,000 and donated two defibrillators to local West Lothian communities as part of the Paul Lynas Memorial Group, told the the Courier that too many people simply aren’t aware of the location of the closest defibrillator.
Last week we reported that West Lothian Council had agreed the need to create a network of defibrillators across West Lothian.
Provost Peter Heggie said: “We need to make searching for the nearest defibrillator easier for all members of our community to potentially save lives in West Lothian.”
Mr Fleming was delighted with that move and said: “Myself and the whole of the Paul Lynas Memorial Group would absolutely encourage a network or register of defibrillators across West Lothian.
“It needs to go hand-in-hand with more training in CPR and knowledge of the defibrillators because I think that with a lot of people there’s maybe a fear of doing something wrong.
“But most of the defibrillators literally tell you what to do as you are using them.”
He added: “They should be in workplaces and schools.
“Ultimately the more defibrillators the better, but the really important thing is having that network and getting them registered.
“There are thousands of these genuinely life-saving pieces of equipment just out there and nobody knows where because businesses or individuals just haven’t registered them.
“People need to know where the nearest one is because if you’re having to go further than needed, that time could really make all the difference.
“I think that there’s a social responsibility to ensure that all defibrillators are registered and to ensure that as many people as possible are trained in CPR and have the confidence to use the equipment.”
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