A Shettleston resident has started a fundraiser to install a community defibrillator in the area after witnessing a man receiving CPR at the side of the road. 

Jamie Canavan, 30, was driving along Shettleston Road last week, when he saw people performing chest compressions to resuscitate a man who had collapsed. 

As he got out of the car, he noticed people running to the nearby police station, looking for a defibrillator. 

However, within moments it became clear they were unable to locate one in the vicinity.

READ MORE: Glasgow Covid PCR booking nightmare as only tests available in Kirkcaldy, Moffat or Peebles

By the time doctors at the Shettleston Health Centre were alerted, paramedics were already on the scene. 

“It was gut-wrenching,” said Jamie. “You don't expect to see that happening in the middle of the main road. 

“There were people everywhere, police officers, the doctors, people phoning for ambulances, people standing over just watching.”

After the incident, Jamie, who works as a HGV driver, looked up the community automated external defibrillators (AEDs), only to find out there were none in Shettleston. 

Now, he has started a GoFundMe page to raise money for a new, visible, community device to install at the Shettleston Road police station, near where the man fell ill. 

He said: “Everyone kept saying the police officers got one, but when I checked they told me they do not have one. The nearby Co-op doesn't have one either.

“There's none on the defib registers, the nearest ones are all in the city centre and if there are some in the area they are not on the registers.”

READ MORE: Last chance to subscribe and save 20% on our annual plan

He added: “There's that many different registers that if something were to happen, you could be running to one, while there could be another right next to where it's needed. 

“Each of them gives out different information, when you take a defib register you'd expect them all to come up, not just some of them. What good is that?”

According to a volunteer-led OpenStreetMap defibrillator register, the nearest AED device would have been located half a mile away, at Thorntree Primary School.

Other commonly used defibrillator maps, like Heart Safe or Google Maps’ register of AEDs in Scotland, do not include the school but list Parkhead and Easterhouse as the closest locations.

Jamie is now liaising with the Shettleston area commander to assess the feasibility of an AED inside or on the exterior of the station. 

In only two days, his fundraiser has collected £655 of £1,374, which is the average cost for an automated defibrillator. 

READ MORE: Firefighters tackle blaze in Glasgow's East End

Although Jamie doesn’t know if the man recovered, he thinks having a defibrillator nearby would have increased his chances.

“The other day was the perfect example,” he said. “It’'s a life-saving piece of equipment.”

“The last update I received from the police was that the man was in intensive care, so I don’t know if he’s okay, anything could have happened.

“But even at that, if we did have a defib to hand, they're pretty self-explanatory to use, you don't need to be trained to use them, that could have given the guy a better chance.”

Police Scotland confirmed the Shettleston police station building is not equipped with a defibrillator but they are liaising with other organisations to address the request for one.

You can donate to Jamie's fundraiser at his gofundme page