The College of Engineering and the School of Management have bought the defibrillators, working closely with the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust.  

The new defibrillators are:

• in Engineering Central, near the door opposite Engineering East
• on the outside wall of the School of Management, facing the clock tower

Maps showing location of defibrillators: Bay Campus; Singleton Campus

Picture: Glyn Thomas from Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, with one of the new defibrillators, with senior figures from the College of Engineering and School of Management (left) and from Whitehead Building Services (right)

The defibrillators were installed free of charge by Whitehead, which carries out construction and maintenance work across the University.

A defibrillator is a device that gives a high energy electric shock to the heart through the chest wall to someone who is in cardiac arrest.

This high energy shock is called defibrillation, and it's an essential lifesaving step.

It means that if someone goes into cardiac arrest, members of the public can begin the ‘chain of survival’ while an ambulance makes its way to the scene.

Anyone can use the defibrillators.  No training is needed.  They have instructions on them, with a link to the ambulance control room.  

Glyn Thomas, Community First Responder trainer for Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, said:

“There are around 30,000 sudden cardiac arrest deaths a year in the UK. Defibrillators can help reduce that death toll.  Anyone can use them and they are easy to use.  

“Every minute counts when someone is in cardiac arrest.   Every minute of delay in administering CPR or applying the defibrillator reduces survival chances by 10%. 

“We at the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust already work closely with the University’s First Responders, who can be the first line of response in an emergency.   We are pleased to support interventions like this, which can make a real difference in communities."

Wendy Clark, senior laboratory technician at Swansea University, who co-ordinates the First Responder scheme on campus, in partnership with the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, said:  

“Good teamwork,  communication and determination, here at the Bay Campus, means that we who live, work or study here,  and those who visit,  now have access to two potentially lifesaving Public Access Defibrillators.” 

Emma Lydiard-Jenkins, College Manager at the School of Management, said:

“We were reviewing our health and safety arrangements, and we thought that a defibrillator could make a difference to our staff and students.”

Rhys Morton, managing director of Whitehead Building Services, said:

“We have a continuing relationship with the University over a number of years, carrying out building and maintenance in both campuses.  So we were pleased to support this very worthwhile cause.”