DEFIBRILLATOR PROJECT

Figures from the WHO show that heart disease is one of the biggest killers globally, and in the UK, 460 people die every day from heart or circulatory problems. Fishermen feature prominently among those numbers, with heart disease and cardiovascular illness remaining one of the largest killers at sea. The occurrence of heart attacks, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other similar health-related incidents due to high blood pressure, has increased within the fishing community, as the increasing age of seafarers means common health complications are being taken to sea. That is why we are on a mission to improve the heart health of seafarers across the UK through our ongoing Defibrillator project.
Our aim is to prevent heart-related fatalities in fishermen, having identified a growing prevalence of heart disease in coastal communities. The project builds on the success of a pilot project conducted by SHS and the NHS in 2021, and thanks to additional funding from the UKSF, will place 200 defibrillators and 250 first aid kits on fishing boats.
Seafarers often face an extensive wait before emergency treatment arrives, especially when out at sea. Crews onboard fishing vessels will attempt to save their colleague’s lives by performing CPR, but sadly not all efforts are successful. Many deaths at sea remain preventable, and it is our goal to minimise loss of life by providing life-saving equipment to vessels.
Treatment with a life-saving shock from an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a key factor in increasing a person’s chance of survival. Compact, portable, and requiring little maintenance, they are perfect pieces of first aid equipment on board fishing vessels. Seafarers Hospital Society (SHS) will place two hundred AED’s and a further 250 first aid kits onboard fishing vessels across the UK.
Training and education are vital aspects of this project. Defibrillator training provides users with the skills and knowledge to operate a defibrillator effectively. Professionals will guide crew through what steps to take in the event a crew member on their vessel or in their vicinity has a cardiac arrest.
This includes how to identify a cardiac arrest, how to use a defibrillator and how to administer additional first aid techniques. Training includes both theoretical and practical aspects and is provided in groups. The more people we can train to be confident with emergency procedures and basic first aid training, in addition to the provision of lifesaving equipment for their use, the better chance we have of saving more lives, both at sea and onshore.
In early November, our CEO, Sandra Welch, visited the Cornish port of Looe for the first set of training sessions for fishermen who had signed up to have a defibrillator installed on their vessels. Over two days, we conducted a total of three training sessions, attended by 26 local fishermen, covering the safe use of defibrillators, and effective CPR in the case of cardiac emergencies.
Tina Hicks, Harbour Master and CEO of Looe Harbour said, “The positive feedback on the quay has exceeded my expectations”. She added; “The fishermen who attended these sessions have been full of praise for the training and equipment, and undoubtedly that positivity will spread amongst the fishing communities in other ports, because of what has happened in Looe.”
Please see the videos below for more about these projects, as well as a selection of images from our recent training sessions held in Looe, Cornwall.