Police appeal for witnesses after defibrillator damage in Glastonbury

Police are investigating after a defibrillator unit on a public footpath at Glastonbury Tor was vandalised sometime over Halloween weekend (30th-31st October).

The damage was first spotted at around 5.40pm on Monday (1st November) and was reported to the police. The exact time the damage occurred is unknown.

The equipment is used when someone's gone into cardiac arrest.

Defibrillators are often dotted around places where it may take more time for ambulances to reach a patient.

Locals were quick to express their anger on social media, with one tweeting:

To use a defibrillator, follow these simple steps:

The information below is provided by the British Heart Foundation.

1. Turn the defibrillator on by pressing the green button and follow its instructions
2. Peel off the sticky pads and attach them to the patient’s skin, one on each side of the chest, as shown in the picture on the defibrillator
3. Once the pads have been attached, stop CPR and don’t touch the patient. The defibrillator will then analyse the patient’s heart rhythm
4. The defibrillator will assess whether a shock is needed and if so, it will tell you to press the shock button. An automatic defibrillator will shock the patient without prompt. Don't touch the patient while they are being shocked
5. The defibrillator will tell you when the shock has been delivered and whether you need to continue CPR
6. Continue with chest compressions and rescue breaths until the patient shows signs of life or the defibrillator tells you to stop so it can analyse the heartbeat again

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• avon and somerset police
• Vandalism