Heart Start

Operation Heart Start is a volunteer-run charity based in St Andrews, Scotland, formed in 1987 to help communities respond to cardiac arrest. Funded entirely by donations, it receives no financial support from the Government, NHS or ambulance service. Its work focuses on raising awareness of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, teaching basic life support and providing equipment that can help save lives.

The charity supports communities across North East Fife with advice, training and full or partial funding to install publicly accessible defibrillators. Since campaigning to expand access in 2008, it has helped place 55 units in St Andrews and nearby communities. Volunteer guardians maintain the defibrillators, which are recorded on The Circuit and visible to the Scottish Ambulance Service, helping emergency call handlers direct callers to a nearby unit.

Operation Heart Start also offers free CPR and defibrillator-awareness sessions for community groups, businesses, charities, youth organisations and sports clubs. Its training is open to everyone in North East Fife and aims to give more people the confidence and skills to act in an emergency.