Initial installation costs
- 86 defibrillators installed to date – each costing between £1,300 and £2,300, depending if they are on a building or a mini lamp post.
- We still have more defibrillators to install if we are to achieve maximum coverage for everyone.
Maintenance costs
- Batteries need replacing every three-five years at a cost of approx. £300 each. In the last year, we have replaced 11 batteries and a further six will need replacing this year.
- Pads need replacing every two-three years as they go out of date – this is in addition to any pads used during a deployment. Last year, we replaced 16 sets of pads at an approx. cost of £50 per set – a further 21 sets of “out-of-date” pads will need replacing this year.
We are often asked – “How do I get access to a defibrillator when the cabinet is locked” We would like to stress that, in the event of an emergency, you should always call 999.
All of our defibrillators are registered with “The Circuit”, which is a national register. This means they are all visible to the Ambulance Service -it is the Ambulance Service that will deploy them in an emergency.
Once the Ambulance Service asks you to collect the nearest available defibrillator, they will give you the location and access code – this triggers an email to be sent to both us and the guardian. The guardian will continue to check the cabinet until the defibrillator is returned. Once it’s back in the cabinet, they will do the necessary checks to ensure it is again emergency ready. The guardian will then log into our account and return the defibrillator to an emergency ready state, making it available to the Ambulance Service for the next deployment. It is because of the dedication and vigilance of our guardians that our defibrillators spend the maximum amount of time emergency ready for the community.
If you need to retrieve a defibrillator, please return it to the cabinet after use so that it can be made ready for the next emergency. If you have any problems or need assistance with the return one, please message us and we will help.
Although it’s the Ambulance Service which will deploy the unit to you, it’s always worth familiarising yourself with your nearest defibrillators. To find the 10 closest Circuit-registered devices, enter a postcode into Defib Finder and it will show you where they are. https://www.defibfinder.uk/
