Urgent appeal for missing defibrillator

An urgent appeal has been issued for the return of lifesaving equipment that went missing in Coventry City Centre.

Coventry Business Improvement District (BID) is urging anyone with information about the community-use defibrillator to get in touch, or for it to simply be put back in its casing.

The device, which was housed in a cabinet based at Fargo Village, was deployed during an emergency call in the early hours of Friday 7 November which involved an incident near National Tyres & Autocare on Gosford Street.

Following the incident, however, the defibrillator was not returned to its cabinet and despite extensive inquiries, the BID has been unable to locate it.

Coventry BID leads on safety initiatives in the city centre, including the installation of defibrillators and emergency bleed control kits.

Stuart Grainger, security manager at Coventry BID, said of the missing item: "This is a vital piece of lifesaving equipment for the community in the city centre, they are very costly to replace and we are urgently calling out for its return.

"Community defibrillators save lives and every minute without one can be the difference between life and death in an emergency.

"After it is used, we ask the public to make sure it is returned to the cabinet where it was housed, but unfortunately after extensive inquiries we have been unable to locate the defibrillator that was used last month.

"We need the defibrillator back where it belongs so it can be deployed for future emergencies."

Members of the public with information about the location of the defibrillator are asked to contact Coventry BID by email at [email protected], by phone on 02477 103 305, or by direct message on Coventry City Centre Instagram or Facebook.

Alternatively, the BID said, the equipment could simply be put back.

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