The story of a Tauranga man's near-death experience has prompted calls for more life-saving heart defibrillators to be positioned strategically around the city.

A non-smoking, moderate-drinking and 'pretty fit” 53-year-old Cliff Tolley suffered a heart attack late last year.

Ron Chamberlain, his portable defibrillator and the app for iPhone or Android. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

'Last thing I expected,” says Cliff. 'Frightened me and totally shocked my kids.”

Cliff was telling his story as part of Heart Attack Awareness month, when the Heart Foundation highlights and educates about the symptoms of a heart attack and the need for early medical intervention.

Like in Cliff's case, he thought the pain was nothing to worry about. He was perilously wrong. Cliff's scare is an all too frequent story, according to a volunteer for Tauranga St John, Red Cross and the Heart Foundation.

'The need for heart defibrillation is critical to saving a life, as emergency services can take time to arrive, and time is paramount,” says Ron Chamberlain, a long-time champion of defibrillators.

A defibrillator can assess an irregular or rapid heart rate that could cause a stroke or heart failure. It can deliver a therapeutic dose of electrical current through the chest wall to re-establish normal heart rhythms.

The three organisations Ron's associated with are very keen to see defibrillators in all areas where there are large numbers of people. 'Pak‘n'Save has them, the ASB has them, but that's not enough,” says Ron. He recommends Neighbourhood Watch invest in defibrillators to have them dotted conveniently throughout the city.

The statistics back his call. They show 12 New Zealanders suffer sudden cardiac arrest every day. And 90 per cent do not survive. That's apparently more than three times the national road toll. However, 75 per cent of heart attack patients will survive if a defibrillator is used within three minutes.

Ron is personally equipped for exactly that emergency.

'I have my own defibrillator in my car; and it's available to everyone in my area. It's registered in the emergency system.”

And he believes that with one person dying from a heart attack in New Zealand every 90 minutes that we can do better.

Symptoms of a heart attack can include chest discomfort that lasts 10 or more minutes, chest pain that spreads to the jaw, shoulders or back, excessive sweating, shortness of breath and nausea.

The Heart Foundation wants New Zealanders to drop their ‘she'll be right' attitude and dial 111 immediately if they suspect they or another person might be having a heart attack.