A COMMUNITY council has bought and installed a defibrillator in its area to help save lives.

Bonhill and Dalmonach Community Council has placed the device outside the Ladyton Shopping Centre.

The machine is for community use in an emergency, it is in a yellow cabinet located beside the cash machine.

A spokesperson for the community council said: “We are pleased to announce that our community defibrillator is now operational at the Ladyton Centre.

“This was purchased by Bonhill Community Council and has been installed with the kind permission of the shop owners David and Gary, who have also allowed us to use the shop power supply for the storage cabinet.

“We would also like to acknowledge the support and assistance provided by Sheenagh Nelson of Heartstart, and Kenny and the staff at Ladyton Pharmacy.

“The device can be a life saver. The life it saves could be a member of your family - or even your own.”

The community council also released instructions for how to operate the defibrillator:

“To open the cabinet, dial 999, and advise the call handler of your emergency.

“When you are in contact with the emergency services, press ‘C’ on the keypad and turn the handle. This will activate a loud alarm and allow you to remove the defibrillator.

“Open the machine case and switch it on.

“The machine will then talk you through the steps required.

“It is completely automatic and safe to use, but will not work if it detects a pulse.”

David McColgan, British Heart Foundation Scotland’s interim head, previously said: “Survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK are shockingly low, with less than one in 10 people surviving.”

Last month we reported 41 new defibrillators will be installed by the council.