Life-saving charity leads the way by providing defibrillators for every fire station in Hertfordshire
All stations now feature external defibrillator boxes containing bleed kits and QR-linked health advice, as part of push to reduce health inequality
Every fire station across Hertfordshire is now being equipped with publicly accessible defibrillator boxes, installed on external walls and available 24/7, in what is thought to be the first rollout of its kind nationally.
Each cabinet contains a defibrillator, a bleed control kit, and a unique QR code that links directly to free health and wellbeing information — all part of a growing initiative to tackle health inequalities in both urban and rural communities.
Hearts for Herts, a volunteer-run charity, has made it its mission to plug the life-saving gap by fundraising for defibrillators, and installing them in as many parts of the county not yet supplied.
The fire stations initiative was born out of a shared recognition between the charity and Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service that while many fire stations already had defibrillators, they were often kept inside — inaccessible when staff weren’t present.
The idea was to turn them into all-rounded community hubs, with 14 now installed across the county.
Wayne Gibbons, Head of Operational Response at Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We have had it on several occasions that members of the public or even local residents will run on occasions a little bit further than somewhere else that could help them because they know where the fire station is.
"The problem is that people would have used vital seconds and minutes to get to the fire station looking for support and looking for help and we might not be there."
Many stations operate with on-call firefighters who are not present at all times, and at times when fire trucks, which do hold defibrillators, are out, a person in need may be met with an empty station.
Mr Gibbons added: "It's not just about having the defibrillators on our full-time stations. It's every fire station that we have in Hertfordshire, ensuring that that life saving equipment is available."
The initiative, like many before, was supported by Lord-Lieutenant for Hertfordshire, Mr Robert Voss CBE.
The charity's mission
For Hearts for Herts founder Justin Honey-Jones, the goal has always been accessibility and education.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, he said: "There are parts of this county where defibrillators are only available on certain days or certain times. Cardiac arrest does not discriminate. It can happen at any time.
"Every defibrillator tells a story. And I want you to remember that."
The charity’s latest innovation — QR codes fixed to each cabinet — gives residents access to a central hub of free resources, from CPR tutorials and domestic violence support to information on quitting smoking or checking blood pressure.
A six-month trial at Barclay Park saw 180 people scan the code, with each spending an average of 14 minutes on the site.
Mr Honey-Jones added: "That trial was quite powerful. Our cabinets are now becoming a proactive and reactive tool."
To date, the charity has installed 75 of the planned 130 public-access cabinets and is also rolling out 350 bleed control kits — 200 already installed, and 100 more planned for schools this September.
The charity recently donated 18 kits to every police station in Hertfordshire and is preparing to deliver an additional 50 defibrillators later this year.
Mr Gibbons said supporting the initiative was instinctive: "Just listening to Justin's story, I knew there was more that we could do to support him and in turn support the community.
"The passion he had for supporting the community and doing as much as we can do — every life matters, every heart counts — it just struck a chord with me."
How it evolved - with 82 successful defibrillator installations
Founded in 2017, Hearts for Herts operates without premises or paid staff.
The charity, Volunteer-run and paramedic-led, operates on a large scale with small resources.
The charity's chair and founder stores the defibrillators in his own garage before they are ready to be installed, once generous funding has been obtained.
Since inception, the charity has trained over 1,100 people in CPR and bleed kit use. It was born from a moment Mr Honey-Jones described as life-defining — the 2017 death of a 35-year-old man who collapsed next to a defibrillator no one knew how to use.
According to the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, a third of all cardiac arrests happen within 300 metres of a school.
Removing barriers to life-saving education remains central.
The charity relies on support from companies, public bodies, and generous public donations to fund every installation, which costs up to £1300 (the overall cost includes a defibrillator, a bleed control kit, the box they sit in, and the electrical installation).
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."
Kaushika Khoosal, Regional Sales Manager at Mindray UK, the defibrillator manufacturer, added: "Mindray is proud to support Hearts for Herts Charity in their mission to improve public health.
"Justin has done incredible work for Hertfordshire and it is wonderful to see the community has thrown themselves behind such a great cause.
"As an experienced paramedic we are honoured that Justin has chosen Mindray's BeneHeart C1A AED as the device of choice for Hearts for Herts Charity.
"AEDs play a crucial role in saving lives, and Mindray is committed to providing reliable, effective solutions."
Their mission going forward
With support from Hertfordshire County Council, public health teams, and a wide network of donors and volunteers, the initiative is already expanding to schools.
Mr Honey-Jones said: "Some schools will have three, four, five defibrillators. Some have only got one."
He therefore set himself a mission to carry out as many 'school conversions' as possible - a process whereby government-funded school defibrillators would be moved by the charity from inside school premises to their gates, making the devices more accessible.
Some conversions have already led to success stories, with a defibrillator activated outside a school's premises during a school holiday.