COMMUNITY Council Back Defibrillator Registration CampaignA LOCAL community council is backing a national campaign to get public access defibrillators (PADs) registered.
PADs can be found in communities all over Scotland and are vital pieces of equipment in the crucial early minutes following a cardiac arrest before an ambulance arrives.
The Scottish Ambulance Service now has a dedicated registration website and is appealing to communities to log defibrillators so that when someone calls 999 the ambulance service will know where the nearest PAD is if it is required.
Jamie Black, vice chair of Cardwell Bay and Greenock West Community Council, said: “Despite living here for nine years, I didn’t know there was a defibrillator in the Cardwell Bar, near my home, and I suspect many locals do not know about it. The more people who know where these are, the higher the chances of saving a life. If any other businesses or groups have a device we urge them to make sure they are registered.”
Jamie added: “There was an extensive discussion at the community council’s last two meetings about this and we agreed to investigate further any other key locations that may benefit from having one and how we could secure funding.
“Many people are also not aware that you do not need specialist training to use one. They have instructions and cannot be used in error — if someone does not need a defibrillator, it simply will not work.”
The defibrillator registration website is pad.scottishambulance.com.
