Skip to content

Keeping your people safe

Providing safe, enjoyable opportunities for people to take part in sport and physical activity is top of the priority list for clubs and community organisations.

Knowing what to do, having the access to the right equipment, and acting quickly in an emergency situation can help save people’s lives. 

Did you know?

  • In the UK, 200 people a day suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (source: Resuscitation Council UK, Restart a Heart).
  • Only one in 10 people survive a cardiac arrest outside of hospital. 
  • Starting CPR, identifying and using the nearest defibrillator within the first three-five minutes after a cardiac arrest can increase someone’s chances of survival from 6% to 74% (source: JHMT, Importance of CPR and AED). 

Read on to find out more about life saving defibrillators and explore how Active Charnwood have worked to help community organisations gain access to or install them.

Who are Active Charnwood?

Part of Charnwood Borough Council, Active Charnwood deliver a wide range of sport, physical activity, and health and wellbeing programmes to local residents.

They also work closely with the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT) to raise awareness about the importance of having access to a defibrillator and have supported increased access to them in community settings. 

We caught up Andrew Doodson from Active Charnwood to find out more about their work and to share their advice for organisations looking to access or install a defibrillator. 

Two men hold a trophy while posing for a photo beside an automated external defibrillator.

About defibrillators…

The Joe Humphries Memorial Trust describe a defibrillator as: "a computerised medical device which delivers an electrical current through the chest, which aims to shock the heart back into a normal rhythm allowing it to pump again.

"Defibrillators can automatically detect the heart's rhythm, without intervention by an operator, whether it’s a case cardiac arrest and whether defibrillation (an electrical shock to the heart) should be performed.

"The speedy use of this automated technology can significantly improve the quality of life of a survivor, as the longer the brain is starved of oxygen, the more the damage that can occur."

Andrew explained that there’s typically two options when it comes to accessing or providing a defibrillator:

  • An automated external defibrillator (AED) – a lightweight, portable device that can be taken to multiple locations or spaces. This is particularly useful for organisations that hire or use different facilities; or 
  • A community public access defibrillator (cPAD) – a device stored in a cabinet that’s typically accessible to members of the public. Some cPADs are available 24 hours a day, although others have restricted access hours. cPADs are often fixed to the outside of community buildings or in buildings that are permanently open, like hotels. To unlock cPADs in external cabinets, users need to call 999 for the code; for those inside buildings, a code can be accessed from those responsible for running the building.

Locating or registering a defibrillator

Active Charnwood encourage registering all defibrillators and any access restrictions on The Circuit, which is supported by the British Heart Foundation.

This makes it easy for people to find their closest available defibrillator in an emergency and access the appropriate code to unlock them.

Installing a cPAD

Access to a defibrillator can be a matter of life or death. However, it’s not as simple as just buying a cPAD and installing a cabinet.

Active Charnwood actively support the installation of cPADs in community settings. They talked us through the process, using the example of an installation at The Outwoods, a large woodland area outside of Loughborough.

  • Step 1 – Ensure there's a need

    Cardiac emergencies are often unexpected. They can occur at any time, to anyone. Before rushing into buying an AED or installing a cPAD, it’s important to establish if there’s a need. 

    Ideally an AED or cPAD should be accessible within three minutes, so find out if there are any others nearby, and how many people will have access to it. 

    Active Charnwood assessed the need for a cPAD by identifying sites that weren’t close to an existing registered defibrillator but were widely used, for example open green spaces such as parks or rural areas.

    Their research showed The Outwoods as the ideal location. The site is used by multiple running and walking groups and by the council for activity programmes, but users didn’t have access to an AED or cPAD. 

     Hide

  • Step 2 – Gain permission

    If your organisation doesn’t own the facilities you use, you’ll need to gain permission from the landowner before installing a cPAD. 

    It’s important to be clear on the length or any restrictions of your lease, licence or tenancy agreement that may impact upon your ability to install a cPAD. 

    Andrew suggested that if your organisation has a short-term lease or agreement, it may be better to purchase a mobile AED.

    At The Outwoods, the ideal location to position the cPAD was the council-owned visitor centre. Active Charnwood sought and gained permission from the council for the installation of the cPAD, an idea they were fully supportive of.

     Hide

  • Step 3 – Make sure you can cover the costs

    Defibrillators vary in cost: at the time of publishing, on average the cost can range between £1,000-£2,000. It’s likely that community organisations will need to raise money or apply for a grant to buy one.

    Andrew highlighted that a number of partner organisations like local councils, charities, the facility owner, lottery distributors, national governing bodies or organisations like JHMT may be able to provide grants to support this, either as a one-off project or part of a wider project to deliver sport or physical activity.

    To support the cPAD at The Outwoods, Andrew approached Charnwood Borough Council, as the asset owner, knowing that they previously provided grants for similar projects.

    Speaking to multiple council departments, Andrew needed to justify the cost and the associated benefits before the council agreed to buy the cPAD and cover the cost of the electrical work needed to install the cabinet.

    There are other costs that need to be considered too – see step 5.

    Hide

  • Step 4 – Establish responsibilities

    If lots of groups access the facilities you use, it’s important to work with them and establish who’s responsible for registering and maintaining the device and cabinet once it’s been installed.

    At The Outwoods, Active Charnwood worked with a number of different groups to outline responsibilities, including:

    • The coffee shop in the visitor centre.
    • Charnwood Borough Council.
    • The facility and grounds contractors.
    • The Outwoods Management Committee.
    • The park rangers and volunteers.
    • The Joe Humphries Memorial Trust.
    Hide

  • Step 5 – Other considerations

    • The defibrillator will need to be regularly checked and maintained.
    • While the defibrillator itself has a battery, the cabinets need electricity to light them and regulate their temperature.
    • Having good signage is also essential so people can easily find it.
    • Having staff, volunteers or other participants that are trained in CPR and know how to use a defibrillator can save people’s lives.
    • It’s important to consider any additional costs associated with these elements.

    At The Outwoods, a qualified electrical engineer completed the installation of the cPAD; appropriate signage was also installed.

    Hide
People kneel and compress the chests of manikins during CPR training.

Active Charnwood facilitated training for over 40 walk leaders, including many who use The Outwoods. They continue to provide training for walk leaders and encourage other community groups and sports clubs to participate.

Links for further support