Written by experts from the BHTA First Aid Medical Equipment (FAME) and Defibrillator Section.
Download the BHTA guidance document as a PDF here.
Experts from the BHTA First Aid Medical Equipment (FAME) and Defibrillator Section have worked together to agree on a suggested standard for cabinets that house public access Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).
The guidance was put together because people were being supplied cabinets that weren’t suitable for the application. For instance, they didn’t have heaters in.
The BHTA FAME and Defibrillator Section came together along with leading manufacturers in the field to agree a proposed standard for the benefit of the user’s community to ensure that when they access a defibrillator in a cardiac arrest medical emergency that the defibrillator will have been kept in a suitable environment for its effective deployment, provided the serviceable items, such as pads, have been kept in date.
All public access defibrillators should be registered on the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Circuit and similar other charity websites, such as Webnos. When someone dials 999 in a cardiac arrest medical emergency, this means that ambulance services know where the nearest operational defibrillator is to guide the caller to its location and, if necessary, give the access code.
Download the BHTA guidance document as a PDF here.
Experts from the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA) First Aid Medical Equipment (FAME) Section have produced new guidance for guardians who are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of public access defibrillators in their workplace or community to ensure they are “ready to rescue”.
Public access automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are gradually becoming more available, particularly after the UK Government initiative to have them in every school. However, many are not properly maintained, and, in an emergency, this could mean that they are rendered useless.
Most of the time, these AEDs sit waiting for the potential to save a life, but it is important to regularly check them so that they are ready to rescue when the moments matter.
For those able to purchase a public access AED for their area/club, it is important that a guardian(s) is assigned to keep the pads, devices, and cabinets in a condition that enables them to save a life if they are ever called upon.
The BHTA FAME Section felt that it was important to raise awareness of the ease of these weekly checks that will ensure that their devices are ready to rescue if ever required.
As part of the section’s strategy last year, they worked together to produce the new guidance document, titled ‘Is your defibrillator ready to rescue?’.
Read this helpful defibrillator guidance here, where there is also the option to download it as a PDF.
Written by experts from the BHTA First Aid Medical Equipment (FAME) Section.
View and download this guidance as a PDF here.
Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are vital life-saving devices and should be checked regularly to make sure they are ready to be used in an emergency.
Add these simple checks into your weekly routine, for example after checking your fire alarms and other safety systems, to ensure your device is ready to rescue.
1. Can you open the cabinet easily?
2. Is the AED missing?
3. Are the AED pads in date?
4. Is the AED showing low or no battery?
5. Is the AED showing an error?