A much-needed piece of life-saving equipment was presented to the Narberth Fire Station by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Narberth branch at Plas Hyfryd Hotel, Narberth, recently.

Jayne Lewis, BHF fund-raising manager for West Wales, said: "The Narberth branch was delighted to be able to part fund the fire station with the defibrillator.

"We hope the defibrillator never has to be used, but if it does, lives will be saved as a result," she added.

A defibrillator is used to save people suffering a cardiac arrest. Around 230,000 people suffer a heart attack in the UK each year, about a third of whom die before reaching hospital due to cardiac arrest.

When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, their chances of survival drop by up to 14 per cent for every minute that passes, so a speedy response is crucial.

Therefore, early defibrillation - within four to five minutes - gives the best possible chance of survival.

Ralph Dunbar, chairman of the Narberth BHF branch, said: "We were delighted that we could part fund a much needed defibrillator that can be used in emergencies.

"If anyone suffers a cardiac arrest, they can be treated straight away through the use of the defibrillator and this will undoubtedly save lives."

Jayne Lewis, of the BHF, added: "Heart and circulatory disease remains the number one killer of people in the UK. Nine people will die prematurely every day in Wales from heart and circulatory disease. That is why the work of the BHF is vital and we rely on generous donations of time and money to continue our life-saving work," she added

For more information about the BHF, please call Jayne Lewis on 01554 891 500/07860 727547 or email [email protected]">[email protected]

For more information about the BHF, please visit bhf.org.uk.