News / Sea Mills
Life-saving defibrillator stolen in ‘outrageous’ crime
On the surface, everything looks normal at the Cafe on the Square in Sea Mills. Locals are gathering to celebrate the birthday of an elderly resident and a cake is waiting.
But volunteers arrived to be told that at Saturday lunchtime, the cafe’s defibrillator – which is available to all for use in emergency situations – had been stolen in broad daylight.
The community has reacted with anger and cafe manager Heidi Simpson called the crime “outrageous”.
is needed now More than ever
Like everyone else, volunteer Yvonne Jordan was baffled as to why anyone would steal such an important piece of equipment from a community cafe.
“I’m shaking, I can’t find words, it’s left me tingling with shock,” she told Bristol24/7.
Volunteers at the Cafe on the Square in Sea Mills have been left in shock following the theft of a life-saving defibrillator – photo: Ellie Pipe
Rich, who did not give his surname, witnessed the theft, which has been reported to the police.
“I saw him arrive and I thought it looked dodgy. He was really slow, if you needed a defibrillator you would be in a hurry, you’d be fast,” said Rich, adding that he saw a man leave with the defibrillator in the car.
Defibrillators save lives and they need to be used as rapidly as possible. Without immediate treatment, 90 -95 per cent of cardiac arrests are fatal. Using a defibrillator, alongside CPR, within three to five minutes improves survival rates from six per cent to 74 per cent. The units use an electric charge to restore normal rhythm to the heart.
The cafe defibrillator had been the result of a community fundraiser by Dr Anderson, who retired from Sea Mills Surgery about five years ago. Another £2,000 will now have to be raised to replace it.
Although the locked box still remains on the outside of the cafe, it is now empty. The next nearest public defibrillator is located at the shops at Westbury Lane, Coombe Dingle, and the cafe defibrillator is currently marked on the map as ‘unavailable’.
To check where your nearest unit is located, use the British Heart Foundation online map. In an emergency you should call 999 who will tell you what to do and how to access a nearby defibrillator if one is available. They are simple to use and could save a life.
Mary Milton is reporting on Sea Mills as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media
Main photo: Mary Milton
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