Bradfield Residential Home is the latest establishment to invest in a lifesaving defibrillator for the use of the community.

The home in Hawksdown Road, Deal, joins places such as Dunkerleys Hotel and Restaurant, Sandown Primary School, the Royal Marines Association Club and Princes Golf Club who all house a device.

Beverley-Jayne Last said: “As a community first responder I am often called out to Bradfield House and always find such a professional, friendly atmosphere when I walk in.

“I was not surprised to hear David Johnson had not only purchased a defibrillator but was also very keen to make this vital piece of lifesaving equipment available to the community.

“Public access defibrillator sites (Pads) make a huge difference, and in countries where they are as common on the streets as our red post boxes, we see far greater survival rates for cardiac arrests than in the UK.”

Deal Community First Responders are very active in installing and training for Pads and have already donated some of their older units to several locations in the town.

The units are registered on the South East Coast Ambulance Service system and when someone calls 999 for a suspected cardiac arrest, they will be advised if there is a defibrillator close by and how to access it.

Mrs Last said: “I hope one day we will make them a common sight in our town, easily recognisable to everyone in the community as the lifesaving devices they are.”

Mr Johnson has also signed his staff up to a British Heart Foundation Heartstart course, run by Mrs Last.

Building on his staffs’ existing first aid at work training, Heartstart concentrates on the life-threatening emergencies people may encounter and teaches how to deal with them while waiting for an ambulance.

The free two-hour courses are open to all members of the public to learn skills such a CPR, what to do when someone is having a heart attack, how to deal with choking and serious bleeding along with how to use a defibrillator.

The courses are held twice monthly at Elizabeth House in Walmer. They will be on January 18 at 7pm, February 3 at 2pm and February 15 at 7pm.

Call 01304 374883 to book.