Two new defibrillators for East Cornwall’s rescue team

A moorland search rarely gives volunteers much warning of what they will find. Now the team that answers those calls across the eastern half of the county has two extra pieces of kit that could make the difference when every second counts.

A donation from three local partners

East Cornwall Search & Rescue Team has received two new defibrillators, donated jointly by PCS Medical Services, Callington Rotary Club and the Tamar Valley Community Defibrillator Scheme. The units will upgrade the team’s existing equipment, supporting its work on the moors, in local communities and during urgent callouts across East Cornwall.

The team says the new defibrillators strengthen its ability to provide essential care to anyone in need, whether that is on an isolated stretch of moorland or somewhere closer to home in the middle of a search and rescue callout.

Who is behind the gift

Chris Bland of the Rotary Club of Callington and Peter Salisbury of PCS Medical and Training were both singled out by the team for their part in the donation. Peter’s organisation runs first aid and CPR courses across Cornwall, while the Tamar Valley Community Defibrillator Scheme exists specifically to put life-saving devices within easy reach of communities either side of the county border.

Between them, the three partners have given East Cornwall’s volunteer rescuers a piece of equipment that sits squarely in that same mission, backing up the search and rescue teams who are often the first trained help on the scene long before an ambulance can reach a remote spot.

Volunteers, not paid crews

East Cornwall Search & Rescue Team is made up of volunteers who turn out for callouts across the moors and communities of East Cornwall, often at short notice and in difficult terrain where paramedics cannot easily follow. Kit like a defibrillator has to be reliable and ready to go at any hour, which is why the team describes the donation as one that goes straight to keeping its volunteers, and the people they are searching for, safer.

The team says it is incredibly grateful for the generosity behind the gift, adding that support like this strengthens its mission and directly helps save lives.

📷Credit: East Cornwall Search & Rescue Team