A NEW defibrillator was unveiled in Minchinhampton today by resident and BBC One Show medic Dr Mark Porter.

As he cut the ribbon to declare the defibrillator available for use Dr Porter said: “This is probably the only thing we spend a lot of money on but hope to never ever use.”

“It only kills people if you don’t use it,” added Minchinhampton Parish Chairman Nick Hurst explaining that the pads don’t react on someone whose heart is beating.

The life-saving equipment was placed on the outside wall of the village’s public toilets in Bell Lane thanks to an opportunity offered to Minchinhampton Parish Council by the South West Ambulance Service and the charitable Community Heartbeat Trust.

Stressing that the defibrillator was “completely foolproof” Dr Porter said: “If someone goes into a cardiac arrest your chance of surviving is less than one in 20. But if it’s used quickly, between three and four minutes, more than half of the people who use it are saved.”

Dr Porter, became a familiar face to millions after he joined the BBC in 1992, and became doctor on BBC’s “One Show”.

Honoured MBE in 2005 for his services to medicine, Dr Porter still also works at a surgery in the south of Gloucestershire.

Severn Trent Water, which recently completed water mains replacement works in Minchinhampton, Stroud, sponsored the £1, 500 cost of the defibrillator and its installation on the Stroud District Council toilets’ building.

Dr Porter was introduced by Cllr Nick Hurst, chairman of Minchinhampton Parish Council, who also thanked representatives of the South West Ambulance Service, Severn Trent Water, and Stroud District Council for attending.

Community First Responder with the ambulance services Kevin Dickens said: “We are encouraging as many communities as possible to invest in a defibrillator like this one now available in Minchinhampton and are delighted to assist them by providing the necessary support.

“It is vital for all communities and workplaces to have easy access to a defibrillator and people trained to use it. When someone is in cardiac arrest every second really does count and the more people who can use them and support us in our ongoing quest to save lives the better.”

Mr Dickens said that increasing the number of available defibrillators was one of a number of initiatives the ambulance service was running across Gloucestershire.

“We are also recruiting more community first responders in the Stroud area. If anyone is interested in finding out more information they should visit the trust’s website,” he said.

The ceremony was arranged by Minchinhampton Parish Council to raise public awareness of the installation of the defibrillator.

In a medical emergency the defibrillator is not a substitute for an ambulance and people should ring 999 as usual.

If the new equipment will help the patient involved the ambulance control will issue the keycode required to open the defibrillator cabinet.