A WALL Heath taxi business has become the first in the borough to carry a defibrillator in their fleet, with the hope it will become common practice for firms in the area.

Drivers with ACE Taxis now carry around the life-saving equipment in their cabs in case of a medical emergency, after owner Phil Salt got in touch with cardiac arrest charity AEDdonate.

The charity, which provided funding for the kit, works to improve survival rates of cardiac arrests and provide defibrillators to communities.

He was inspired to do so after while at work finding a patient in cardiac arrest, who despite receiving CPR, passed away.

Seeing first-hand how devastating the effects of a cardiac arrest can be, he decided to take action.

Phil said: “Thank you to AEDdonate for supporting me with my mission to have an AED on board my taxi. I hope I never have to use the machine but it’s great to be able to give something back to my local community, with the miles I cover it just makes sense.”

Phil now hopes to take his work a step further and wants to work with Dudley Council to ensure that a defibrillator is on board every taxi.

Jamie Richards, CEO of AEDdonate, said: “This is the first time the charity has placed a defibrillator in a taxi, and we think it’s a great initiative. It was great to support Phil and we look forward to working together to encourage other drivers to do the same.”

The chances of survival after a cardiac arrest can increase from 6% to 74% if a defibrillator and CPR are used within the first three to five minutes of collapse.