A Dundee cafe owner has bought a defibrillator for businesses and residents on Reform Street – following the collapse of footballer Christian Eriksen at Euro 2020.
Coffee & Co owner Heather Judge has invested in the equipment as more people are returning to the area following the lifting of coronavirus restrictions.
She says she had been considering the move since Eriksen was revived on the pitch during one of Denmark’s games at the summer’s tournament.
Heather says it is available to anyone in the area who might need it in an emergency.
‘It could happen to anybody at any age’
She said: “The majority of people will be going back to their work and because this is one of the main routes to the city centre with buses passing, anything could happen to anybody at any time.
“We just want to make people aware that there’s one here.
“Look at that footballer, he was a young guy. It can happen to anybody at any age.”
Staff at Coffee & Co have been trained up on how to use the device if anyone collapses on their premises.
Heather said: “I don’t know of anyone who has one around here so we’ve invested in one.
“Anyone who has an emergency nearby can use ours. It talks you all the way through and has extra kit as well.
“All the staff are trained on it and they have CPR training too.”
The device cost £1,000, but Heather decided it was necessary to protect customers and passers-by.
She added: “We saw that a lot of businesses were trying to get them installed at football parks, and we don’t want people to have to go far to get one.
“Especially since a lot of older folk come into town to get to the bank, and we have an older clientele as well.
“It’s just about looking after your customers as well as anybody else out there.
“It can happen to anyone at anytime.”
According to the British Heart Foundation, a defibrillator will assess someone’s heart rhythm in the event that they take ill.
Instructions will then be given to the user on whether a shock is needed.
Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces someone’s chance of survival by 10%.