The Scottish Ambulance Service has set up a dedicated website where communities can register their public access defibrillators. The aim is to ensure that 999 operators know where the nearest life-saving devices are located.

It has launched the Registration to Resuscitation campaign to encourage communities and organisations that have defibrillators to add them to its list, as there is currently no comprehensive record of all the defibrillators in Scotland.

Murray McEwan, national resilience manager at the Scottish Ambulance Service, explained that defibrillators are vital in situations where someone’s life is in immediate danger following a cardiac arrest, and urged local communities to get behind the campaign.

He added that if the 999 operators know where defibrillators are located, they’ll be able to direct bystanders to one of the devices, which could make all the difference to someone surviving a cardiac arrest.

Speaking to the BBC, director of the British Heart Foundation Scotland James Cant commented: “Fewer lives would be needlessly lost if more people felt confident using CPR skills and more defibrillators were available in public places.”

He added that registering the devices with the Scottish Ambulance Service would mean everyone was “playing their part in potentially saving a life”.

A growing number of communities in the UK are working to increase the number of defibrillators available. Last month, an Oldham GP started a campaign to bring defibrillators to every school in the borough.

Dr Anita Sharma said that if even one life is saved by the defibrillators being provided to local schools, that it had all been worth it.