THE defibrillators installed around the Bude area are all — bar-one — now active, following confirmation from the South Western Ambulance Service.

When Norman Trebilcock from FLEET (Front Line Emergency Equipment Trust) and Alan Odgers from South West Electrical Installations installed the units they had to leave yellow stickers on them to indicate they were not yet ‘live’, but now the ambulance service has confirmed that a majority of them are linked up with their system and ready for use.

Locations of the nine defibrillators are Poughill Preston Gate; Stratton Stores; Hebasca Hotel, Flexbury; Lansdown Dairy and Deli; the Parkhouse Centre; Esso Garage; Marhamchurch telephone box; Wainhouse Corner Stores; and Morrisons garage.

The one Norman says he is still waiting to receive confirmation about is that at Morrisons garage — all the others are live.

FLEET, a registered charity, relies entirely on donations and fundraising to facilitate the installation of the defibrillators so it is essential they keep momentum going.

These pieces of equipment are vital for survival rates in cardiac arrest sufferers — the British Heart Foundation states that every minute without CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and defibrillation reduces someone’s chance of survival by ten per cent.

Last year Sue Van Rensberg and her son Wayne ran the London Marathon for FLEET and they will be running it again this year in April. To donate or just to keep up to date with their fundraising, visit www.justgiving.com/FLEET.