by John Prince
Residents and businesses are being asked to come forward if they own a defibrillator that could be made accessible to the public.
Hornsea Town Council is compiling a list of available machines amid concerns about gaps in lifesaving coverage across the town.
Privately owned defibrillators are often not registered, not signposted, or not available 24/7, which can leave critical blind spots in the minutes that matter most during a cardiac arrest.
While Hornsea has a number of visible and publicly accessible devices, such as ones outside the town hall and in the old telephone box in Newbegin, many are clustered in central locations. That can leave people living on estates, outlying streets and busy walking routes without reliable coverage.
Every unregistered device could be a missed opportunity to save a life.
Residents, sports clubs, shops, holiday parks, guesthouses and workplaces are being urged to contact the council if they have a defibrillator on their premises, whether it is public facing or not.
The aim is to build a complete, accurate map of all devices in the town and work with owners to ensure as many as possible are available around the clock.
Hornsea 3G is also aiming to raise £250 for batteries and pads for two of the machines at Hornsea School and Language College via a GoFundMe page. Visit gofund.me/d2befc802.
If you have a defibrillator, you can email the council at [email protected].