A Llanelli town councillor who has long campaigned for more public defibrillators has helped save a man’s life in the town centre.
Cllr Shaun Greaney, who represents the Lliedi ward, spotted a man lying motionless in Stepney Street in the early hours of Thursday morning.
“I feared the man was dying,” he said. “He was perfectly still, barely breathing, and unresponsive.”
Cllr Greaney dialled 999 and, guided by the call handler, began chest compressions. “Despite my nerves I remembered the importance of staying calm. The call handler was amazing, counting me through every compression.”
After several minutes, a First Responder arrived with a defibrillator. “I think he came in the nick of time,” said Cllr Greaney. “The ambulance service gets a lot of criticism but they were absolutely first rate, going into action swiftly and professionally.”
The man regained consciousness but declined to go to hospital. Police and ambulance crews later met him nearby.
Cllr Greaney said the incident underlined the need for more 24/7 defibrillators in busy areas. “It’s ironic that I couldn’t reach the nearest ones quickly enough, even though there are three close by — but only accessible in the day. For the sake of less than £2,000 each, more lives could be saved.”
He added: “The chap we treated was just lucky we were there. Anything could have happened.”
