In the year ending March 2014 there were more than 28,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. Survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are dependent on a number of factors including the presence of bystanders, time to arrival of the emergency services, prompt cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and early defibrillation (British Heart Foundation).

The British Heart Foundation states that following a cardiac arrest every minute that passes without the casualty receiving CPR and defibrillation their chance of survival is reduced by 10%.

With an emergency response vehicle reaching 75% of life-threatening 999 calls within 8 minutes (www.nhs.co.uk) the time between a casualties suffering a cardiac arrest and the emergency services arriving means that the chances of survival rapidly reduce. Having a defibrillator on-site whether it be a workplace, school, university or any public building means that life-saving treatment can be given to a casualty immediately, therefore dramatically increasing the chances of survival from a cardiac arrest.

Defibrillators are a simple and effective method of administrating life-saving treatment to a casualty suffering from cardiac-arrest and can be used on both adults and children over the age of 1 years old. Defibrillators are extremely safe to use as they provide clear step-by-step instructions on how to use them and will only allow a defibrillation shock to be delivered to a casualty if one is required.

There is no doubting how vital defibrillators can be in saving-lives. Prompt delivery of defibrillation can result in survival rates as high as 75% (Resuscitation Council, UK). Having one close by could mean the difference between life and death.