INVERKEITHING can take heart from the news it’s set to become the latest place in West Fife to install lifesaving defibrillators.

The town’s community council was given a demonstration on the vital equipment by the Scottish Ambulance Service last week and has now decided it will purchase two of the devices.

Fall victim to a cardiac arrest – and 30,000 people do each year in the UK – and the vital spark from the small, portable device can be the difference between life and death.

A defibrillator can deliver an electric shock to try to restore a normal heart rhythm and bring the casualty back from the dead.

Community council chairperson Helen Doig said they decided to purchase the machines after hearing exactly what they can do.

“We have thought about it for some time and I have to say the first assessment was we didn’t think we would need them because of our close proximity to the ambulance service in Pitreavie,” she said.

“She talked us through it and put all our fears to rest because we wanted to know how easy they would be to use and to access. We ultimately decided we would buy two public access defibrillators (PADs) and that is where we are at now.”

She continued: “We have to now find out where in the town that we are going to put them and will have to go and speak to businesses and ask them if we can put them on their walls.

“The greatest footfall is obviously the High Street so we will look at that.

“There is one already at the dentist and the doctor’s surgery and we think there is maybe one in the civic centre but these places all close.

“We are looking to get them as soon as we possibly can. We will obviously have to look at funding and are doing that at the moment.”

Local councillor David Barratt welcomed the decision and said wheels were already in motion for devices to be put up in North Queensferry and Aberdour as well.

“Inverkeithing Community Council has been talking about it for quite a while and have decided to purchase two,” he said.

“North Queensferry is also looking at similar and there are plans for maybe four there and a community group in Aberdour is looking at getting another one – I think there is already one at the golf course.”

The Dunfermline Press launched its own Take Heart campaign back in August 2015 when we called for PADs to be placed in the town for anyone to use at any time, in case the very worst happens.

At that time, we found that while there were around 20 defibrillators in and around Dunfermline, only one at Asda’s Halbeath store was available 24 hours a day to the public.

As a result of the campaign, three devices were placed around Dunfermline town centre.