IN AN emergency a defibrillator can mean the difference between life and death.

Brad Smith, managing director of Essential Health and Safety Group said lives are lost in the time it takes for an ambulance to arrive.

"Next to knowing CPR, a defib is the single most successful thing to saving lives," he said.

"As we've seen recently, a defibrillator owned by a local business was used to resuscitate Brian Breslin until the ambo's turned up.

"I know of three other customers who purchased defibs and have used them to save lives.

"The more people who are trained to use them and have one readily available in an emergency the better."

Mr Smith has been pushing for more defibrillators in the community for years.

"The fact that anyone can use them is the key," he said.

"There've been recorded cases where people are saved 70 percent of the time with the early use of a defibrillator.

"That's pretty impressive, but it can only happen if there's a defib nearby."

A spokesperson from AusProof said they were planning to hand out flyers to nearby businesses advising them they had a defibrillator on site and staff trained in its use.