Concerned locals have appealed for the return of potentially life saving equipment which has gone missing from a Northumberland park.
The defibrillator was located in Riverside Park, Prudhoe but has not been seen for more than three months. The alarm has been raised by local town councillor Chris Barrett who thinks it might not have been taken by thieves.
He said: "There wasn't any visible damage to the cabinet it was held in so we think somebody might have taken it to use for a legitimate purpose. They have then either forgotten to bring it back or kept in case they needed it again, which isn't the purpose of them.
"They are supposed to be available to anybody and can provide vital help in those crucial first few minutes after someone has a heart attack."
A defibrillator is a device that gives a high energy electric shock to the heart of someone who is in cardiac arrest and is an essential part in trying to save their life. In recent years more and more of these vital pieces of equipment are being made available to the public in cabinets with combination locks.
Just how vital they can be was shown in 2015 when a friend of Chris's, Kevin Burke, used one to save the life of a man who had collapsed while playing badminton at Ponteland Leisure Centre. He was the duty manager there then and had been working in the reception area when a customer came running through from the badminton courts saying a man, Farooq Ahmad, had collapsed.
Kevin said after the incident: “I just grabbed the defibrillator we keep here and ran through. As soon as I got there I could see he was in a bad way. We put him on his back and while another customer did chest compressions, I got the defibrillator ready.”
The defibrillator, which was handed over to the leisure centre by Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer via charity North East Hearts with Goals, worked perfectly, shocking the then 67-year-old’s heart into starting again.
Back in 2015 grandfather-of-eight, Farooq, from Gosforth said: “If it hadn’t been for Kevin acting so quickly, I wouldn’t be here today. My family and I can’t thank him enough.”
Chris said they want the defibrillator back to offer people who suffer a heart attack a chance to survive like Farooq in 2015. And he said due to its location outside the Tyne Riverside cafe there was a fair chance it could be needed.
Riverside Park is on the arduous Coast2Coast cycle route, is home to Prudhoe Plodders running club as well as the local canoe club and hosts the Prudhoe Riverside parkrun.
"It couldn't be better sited," said Chris. "This appeal isn't about getting anyone in trouble, we just want it back. If you have the defib or know of its whereabouts please contact us or return it immediately.
"Imagine how you would feel if someone dies because they didn’t have access to the defib . Please do the right thing and return it."
A Northumberland County Council spokesperson said: "We are aware of the missing defibrillator and are liaising with the police and ambulance service to try and get it returned."
