A PUBLIC awareness campaign to highlight the potentially life-saving benefits of public defibrillators is to launch with the installation of a device in Dalmuir.

The SNP’s convener of West Dunbartonshire HSCP IJB and spokeswoman for social work and health, Marie McNair, opened up during a full council meeting at Garshake last week about losing her father aged just 52 to a heart problem.

And it was her motion, along with an addendum from Labour’s Clydebank Waterfront councillor Danny Lennie, which has paved the way for a new defibrillator to be installed in Dalmuir Community Centre.

Ms McNair asked the council to “agree” that a public awareness campaign is launched locally and that all interested parties are involved.

Her motion continued: “As well as the location of all of the council’s AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) we should also compile a list of all other AEDS in other facilities across West Dunbartonshire.”

The motion concluded: “Furthermore, council agrees to explore options to promote general first aid training in our schools, community groups and the wider public.”

Cllr Lennie pointed out that Dalmuir CEC did not have one and the nearest one was in Clydebank Town Hall.

“I would ask if it’s added to the motion,” said Cllr Lennie.

A report that went before councillors said: “Heart disease is one of the UK’s greatest killers, with British Heart Foundation (BHF) statistics estimating that more than 60,000 sudden cardiac arrests take place each year outside of a hospital environment.

“Research has shown that this amounts to approximately 74 per cent of the total cardiac arrests in the UK."

With the council poised to move to a new HQ building in Dumbarton town centre, the report suggested that it would be “prudent” to relocate the three AEDs currently located in the building.

It was agreed that one of these would be installed in Dalmuir CEC.

In addition, West Dunbartonshire Council will also look into the possibility into putting other AEDs into other council-owned buildings.

A number of schools and public locations now have defibrillators thanks to campaigning and fundraising by Norma and Andy Docherty, who lost their son Scott aged just 17 in 2011.

Last month, the latest device was installed at Napier Hall in Old Kilpatrick. It follows defibrillators at Clyde Shopping Centre, Clydebank Town Hall, Old Kilpatrick Bowling Club, Gavinburn and Linnvale primaries, both Clydebank high schools and Our Lady of Loretto Primary.