Finding and Using Public Access Defibrillators
Perhaps you saw the news recently about a head teacher’s life being saved by his colleagues using a defibrillator (also known as a defib and an AED) when he suffered a cardiac event. That defibrillator was placed in the school by the Oliver King Foundation, which was established by the father of a student who died at his school due to a previously undetected heart condition. This foundation has provided approximately 6,000 schools and organizations across the UK with defibs and trained staff in their use.
But what if you have a cardiac event at home or at work? Very few private homes have defibrillators, and not all workplaces do either. Luckily, public access AEDs are available. The only catch is knowing where to find them.
The UK now has a national defibrillator network—The Circuit—that collects these machines’ locations into one database. All ambulance services across the UK now use this database to inform callers where to find their nearest defibrillator.1 Thus, The Circuit asks that anyone with a defibrillator register it with them so that emergency services can be improved and lives saved. “Whether it’s in a local pub, shopping centre or office – every defibrillator matters. Registration could be the difference between life and death.”2
To find a public access defibrillator, go to Defib Finder. To operate the machine, simply turn it on and listen to its instructions. But if you’d like some hands-on experience, Stewart First Aid Training can prepare your employees for working with defibrillators. Courses that instruct on AEDs are the HSE First Aid at Work course and HSE Emergency First Aid at Work course, and we also offer a half day dedicated course entitled Automated External Defibrillator (AED) with CPR. For more information and to book courses, click here.
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