Prawle Point Coastwatch now has an automatic external defibrillator for the lookout.

AEDs are used for treating a person who has suffered a cardiac arrest and can increase their chances of survival from five per cent to 70 per cent.

They can be used without any prior training, but several watchkeepers have already taken part in a Heartstart course run by the Rotary Club of Kingsbridge Estuary. According to the British Heart Foundation, “To help someone who is in cardiac arrest effectively, a defibrillator needs to be found as quickly as possible. For every minute it takes for the AED to reach someone and deliver a shock, their chances of survival reduce by up to 10 per cent”.

The nearest defibrillator to Prawle Point until now has been in East Prawle village and it would take some considerable time for it to be brought up the cliff to the lookout.

Prawle Point is a popular place for walkers using the coastal path, but due to the sometimes harsh weather conditions and the fact that few walkers are about when the lookout is closed, the AED will not be kept in a box outside, but in the lookout itself.