Defibrillators & Bleed Kits (Saltford)

View the St John’s Ambulance ‘How to use a defibrillator’ page at https://www.sja.org.uk/first-aid-advice/how-to-use-a-defibrillator/ for a clear written guide and to view their ‘How to use a defibrillator’ video (latter also available on YouTube here).

Defibrillator Heart Restarter: For an unconscious person NOT breathing normally call 999, start CPR, switch on defibrillator, follow its instructions. The first 3 to 5 minutes following someone going into Cardiac Arrest are crucial. 999 should be called immediately to ensure that the ambulance is dispatched at which time the operator will inform the caller of any nearby defibrillator and the access code where required. Call 999 for a code to access defibrillators in locked cabinets. Anyone can use a defibrillator. No training is necessary.

Defibrillators can provide vital life-saving treatment, with latest research showing that accessing these devices within 3-5 minutes of a cardiac arrest increases the chance of survival by over 40%. Saltford Parish Council does not own and is not responsible for any defibrillators in Saltford. If you use a defibrillator the owners should be alerted to its use, but please contact them to make sure as defibrillators require attention following use.

Registering a defibrillator with The Circuit enables emergency services, including first responders, to locate the nearest publicly accessible external defibrillators (AEDs) when they are treating someone suffering from out of hospital sudden cardiac arrest. If you own or manage a defibrillator in Saltford please register it to the National Defibrillator Network known as The Circuit at https://www.thecircuit.uk/. Registration is simple and quick to do. Many AEDs are not registered, meaning ambulance services cannot find them when they are needed most resulting in some defibrillators never being used because emergency services do not know how to access them. The Circuit connects defibrillators to NHS ambulance services across the UK so that in those crucial moments after a cardiac arrest they can be accessed quickly to help save lives.

Photo shows SPC Councillors with representatives of those involved in the Norman Road Phone Box project, including Lottie representing the team at The Crown in Saltford pub. The team at The Crown kindly purchased and now maintain their defibrillator on the phone box. Photo taken August 2025

For more about how Saltford Parish Council is improving access to defibrillators visit our news articles ‘Joint project funds new defibrillator at Saltford pub‘ (at High St / Mead Lane) and ‘Vanishing act to village icon! The journey of Saltford’s Norman Road Phone Box’ (Norman Road phone box located near junction with A4 Bath Road).

Community Bleed Kits in Saltford

IN AN EMERGENCY CALL 999.

To locate a Bleed Kit in Saltford, visit Heartsafe’s map at https://www.heartsafe.org.uk/bleed-kit-map/

Known Community Bleed Kits are located at the following locations (SPC owns and is responsible for the Bleed Kit on the Norman Road phone box only):

Saltford Hall (Wedmore Road)

Davis and Way (A4 Bath Rd / Beech Road)

Saltford Sports Club (behind Saltford Hall)

Saltford Golf Club (Golf Club Lane)

Bird in Hand – red phone box (Bird pub)

Norman Road – red phone box (A4 / Norman Rd junction)

The above locations also have defibrillators, please view information under defibrillators above for address and What3Word details.

Information about Community Bleed Kits

Each Bleed Kit contains a range of equipment. Given that members of the public are unlikely to be familiar with the contents nor have had training, Bleed Kits come all prepared for use by anyone. Kits include colour coded steps to assist in clear instruction for use, so people can use them with confidence in critical situations.

By giving people the tools to stop the bleeding until paramedics arrive, the immediate availability of Bleed Kits in the public domain can help save lives. Bleed Kits contain equipment including trauma dressings and instructions on how to use them, so they can be used by members of the public without training.

The Avon and Somerset Bleed Kit Partnership’s Community Bleed Kit Team brochure may be of interest to local organisations or local businesses who may be considering installing their own Bleed Kits. More information is also available on the https://www.heartsafe.org.uk/ website.

SPC’s Community Bleed Kit initiative

In late 2024 and early 2025, Saltford Parish Council worked with the Avon and Somerset Community Bleed Kit partnership to install five Community Bleed Kits in the village. Please view details about the initiative that was open to business and organisations in Saltford in SPC’s article here. Community Bleed Kits were subsequently installed at Saltford Sports Club, Saltford Golf Club, and on SPC’s ex-BT red phone boxes at The Bird pub and Norman Road. Please view SPC’s article ‘SPC initiative results in five Community Bleed Kits installed in Saltford‘.

SPC also secured funding from Curo to purchase and install a Community Bleed Kit at Saltford Hall, with thanks to the support of the Saltford Community Association (who own and manage Saltford Hall). Please find a news article from January 2025 here.

A private funder installed a Bleed Kit next to the defibrillator on the wall of Davis & Way (Beech Rd / A4).

In the space of three months, Saltford went from having no 24/7 publicly available Community Bleed Kits as listed on the Heartsafe map to having six at various locations in the village. As ‘legacy’ kits, the Avon and Somerset Community Bleed Kit Partnership will check the Bleed Kits, replace any out-of-date items when required, and resource the kits if they are used. If you notice that the yellow tag on a Community Bleed Kit is missing indicating use, please contact the owner of the Bleed Kit so that they can inform the Partnership.

Image shows members of SPC (including Chair Cllr Jon Godfrey), Saltford Community Association Trustees, and a representative of Curo by Saltford’s new Community Bleed Kit at Saltford Hall (next to SCA’s defibrillator). Photo taken January 2025.