Response cars equipped with lifesaving machines

NORTHUMBRIA Police is set to be equipped with 154 defibrillators thanks to a donation of nearly £200,000 from a North East charity.

- OWEN YOUNGER

The force will now be the first in the country to have a defib in every one of its response cars, thanks to the generosity of the Red Sky Foundation.

This will allow officers to be better equipped, as they are often first on the scene to deal with cardiac emergencies.

The partnership between Northumbria Police and the Red Sky Foundation began when a man's life was saved shortly after a Sunderland match at the Stadium of Light.

Officers responded to a cardiac emergency involving a football fan in Sunderland city centre, helping to save the life of Phil Wright.

Following this incident, Phil's wife Celia reached out to express her heartfelt gratitude, and the officers involved in the response, with the support and the donation from the charity, put the wheels in motion for this.