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Alex has worked in  JCDecaux UKs’ Operations team for 25 years and knows that installing life-saving defibrillators into the UK’s high streets really matters - he explains why in a new video here.

Alex is speaking as the 180 public-access defibrillators installed as part of JCDecaux’s Community Information Hubs have reached a special milestone – they have been used over 500+ times in 16 cities, potentially saving hundreds of lives, thanks to a partnership between JCDecaux UK and the Community Heartbeat Trust. 

Funded by digital 6-sheet advertising, the Community Information Hubs that include defibrillators (as well as free wifi, charging points and free landline phonecalls) have now been installed in 16 cities across the UK including: Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Sheffield and Newcastle.

Alex says, “This is my 25th year at JCDecaux – I’ve been part of the Communication Hub project for four years now and I feel that this will be part of my legacy. When someone suffers a heart attack, time is essential. Having a defib unit close by is really important and you can now find them in major cities across the UK. These defib units are all about giving back to the community. It means a lot to be installing a piece of equipment that is saving lives.”

Martin Fagan of the Community Heartbeat Trust says, “Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time and after calling 999 and doing CPR, using a defibrillator offers the best chance to save a life. These defibrillators are straightforward to use, with clear voice instruction prompts that guide the user through the process – so no special training is needed. We know that early defibrillation can triple a victim’s chance of survival so we are delighted to work with JCDecaux to bring these defibrillators to city centres across the UK.”

Paid for by the brand campaigns hub, the Hubs and defibrillators are another proofpoint of how the public screen of Out-of-Home gives back (an estimated 50p in every pound spent on Out-of-Home goes back into the Community - at the same time as providing a powerful communication channel for brand advertising. 

JCDecaux UK is bringing this valuable public service to city centres at no cost to the public purse, in line with its Choose to Care value.

(Check out our life-saving street furniture website page here)