A public access defibrillator had already been used in 2021 to save a 21-year-old Portuguese tourist’s life
A 27-year-old Irish tourist who collapsed in Albufeira’s Oura district was brought back to life thanks to quick-thinking friends who used a nearby public access defibrillator to begin resuscitation efforts.
The incident took place shortly before 5am on Monday morning (July 15) near the so-called Oura roundabout at the intersection between Sá Carneiro avenue and José Fontana street, the municipal council has revealed in a statement to the press.
Luckily, the location is equipped with a public access defibrillator which the victim’s friends immediately activated in an attempt to save his life. A “pre-hospital emergency team” from the Albufeira Volunteer Firefighters (BVA) arrived shortly after, having taken over and successfully revived the young man, who was taken to Faro Hospital in stable condition and “conscious”.
This is the latest success story for the municipality’s public access defibrillator programme, which in 2021 had already played a crucial role in bringing back to life a 21-year-old Portuguese tourist who had gone into cardiac arrest.
As the municipal council points out, Albufeira was the first municipality in the Algarve to implement a “community-based Automated External Defibrillation programme” – a system certified by Portugal’s INEM emergency institute that “allows lives to be saved in the event of cardiorespiratory arrest.”
The project, named ‘Albufeira + Segura’ (Safer Albufeira) and created in October 2017, features 11 booths equipped with automatic defibrillators, installed at “strategic points in public areas,” as well as two portable defibrillators in the hands of municipal police and the local fire department, and a network of trained operators to “ensure basic life support and defibrillation manoeuvers after a cardiorespiratory arrest until INEM arrives.”
Initially, 71 volunteers underwent rigorous training in basic life support and automatic defibrillation, with 57 receiving certification. Their commitment laid the foundation for a robust network that now boasts around 900 trained operators. Plans are underway to install an additional 12 booths by the end of the year.
GNR police and local firefighters are partners of the local council in the project, ensuring round-the-clock support as first responders to emergencies.
