What are defibrillators and how can they help?
If a person suffers a sudden cardiac arrest, sometimes a high energy electric shock can restore a more stable rhythm and save their life.
This is called defibrillation and is done using a machine called a defibrillator. These are sometimes known as 'defibs' or automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
There are two types of defibrillators:
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Community Public Access Defibrillator (CPAD): placed inside an external, locked cabinet, in the community that can be opened with a code provided by the 999 call taker should it be needed.
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Static defibrillator: placed inside a building and available for as long as the building remains open, such as an office between 9am - 5pm.
In the event that you witness a person in cardiac arrest you should start CPR and ring 999
In the event that someone suffers a cardiac arrest you should call 999 and the ambulance operators will direct you the defibrillator if there is one nearby. They will also provide you with a code, if required, to unlock the cabinet. The defibrillator will talk you through what to do until the paramedics arrive.
A person's chances of surviving a cardiac arrest can be tripled if defibrillation is done early enough and as part of the four-step
Chain of Survival
Where are the defibrillators in our borough?
Our Gold CardiacSmart Award winning Public Health Team has donated defibrillators to community locations across our borough, to make it a safer place to live. The defibrillator locations are listed in the table below.
The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) holds a full list of the defibrillators registered in the borough; it's vitally important that all defibrillators are registered with them.