Defibruary
In Wales, more than 6000 people a year go into cardiac arrest outside of hospital. 80% of those take place at home.
A cardiac arrest means someone’s heart has stopped beating. When this happens normal breathing also stops. Someone in cardiac arrest will become unresponsive and will need urgent medical attention.
A defibrillator or automatic external defibrillator (AED) is used to analyse the heart rhythm of a casualty and give a shock to the heart to someone in cardiac arrest and help it beat again. The device will only give a shock if it’s safe to do so.
Following a cardiac arrest, a person’s survival chances are reduced by 10% for every passing minute without action. The quicker you act, the more chance you have to save someone’s life.
Defibruary was created by St John Ambulance Cymru to help people become more defib-aware so more people can help others in need in our communities.
How can I get involved in Defibruary?
This February we're encouraging you to learn, locate or donate to help save lives in Wales by using a defibrillator:
- Increase your knowledge of how to access and use an AED with our free defibrillator awareness eLearning module.
- Gain certified, official training in AED proficiency to confidently respond to emergencies with our defibrillator training course. You can also learn how to use a defbrillator as part of one of our first aid courses. We offer certification valid for 3 years on completion.
- Find your nearest public access defibrillator.
- Donate so we can fund new defibrillators across Wales.