Lifesaving equipment to be available at every Hertfordshire Fire Station

Fourteen units containing a defibrillator and bleed kit have been donated, co-funded by Hertfordshire County Council Public Health and volunteer-run Hearts for Herts Charity. This equipment is crucial in emergencies, significantly improving survival rates from out of hospital cardiac arrests and managing severe bleeding until emergency services arrive. Hertfordshire County Council and Hearts for Herts will continue to collaborate on future installations.

The initiative is part of a wider community defibrillator and bleed kit project, reinforcing our commitment to equipping residents with the tools and knowledge to respond confidently and effectively in emergency situations.

The most recent installation at Hatfield fire station was activated just over a month after being installed, demonstrating the vital role of public access in real emergencies.

Each unit is mounted on the exterior of the fire station, ensuring round-the-clock access for the public.

The unit includes:

• a defibrillator
• a bleed control kit
• a QR code, offering free CPR and defibrillator training resources as well as links to wider health information

Importantly, no specialist training is required to use defibrillators. The Mindray automated external defibrillator (AED) provides clear, step-by-step voice instructions and are designed to only deliver a shock when medically necessary, ensuring safety for all users.

Hearts for Herts will manage the ongoing maintenance and coordinate a volunteer guardian network to ensure each unit remains fully operational and emergency ready.

Councillor Ajanta Hilton, Executive Member for Public Health & Community Safety at Hertfordshire County Council said: “We are proud to have contributed funding to such an important project and to make this life-saving equipment publicly accessible at Fire Stations across Hertfordshire. This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to public safety and community resilience, placing essential emergency resources in strategic locations across the county.”

Alex Woodman, Chief Fire Officer at Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue said: "We are grateful to Hearts for Herts Charity for their generous donation. Fire stations are well-known landmarks, so they’re an ideal location for publicly available defibrillators and bleed kits. Firefighters are still statistically more likely to experience cardiac arrest than other emergency service workers, so this provides an additional safety measure for our teams. Thanks to this donation both our rescue teams and the public can help even faster during cardiac emergencies." 

Justin Honey-Jones, founder of Hearts for Herts Charity said: “We are very grateful to our supporters and partners for making this donation possible. Our community's effort helped us achieve our 75th installation and support the donation of 14 defibrillators and bleed kits at once. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this cause – it really has been a community effort."

For more information on finding lifesaving kits in Hertfordshire as well as training advice visit Defibrillators around Hertfordshire | Hertfordshire County Council

To find out more about Hearts for Herts Charity, including its mission, fundraising events, and how to donate, visit: www.heartsforherts.co.uk