This week, a defibrillator machine was installed outside the DASS office at Blackford Avenue, Edinburgh. It was the aim of our Sponsored Challenge in 2020 to fundraise for a machine and cabinet. Staff were inspired after they learned in a First Aid course about the significant increased chance of survival for cardiac arrest victims when a defibrillator machine is used. Our office is located at a busy junction with lots of foot traffic and there was previously no public defibrillator nearby.

The cabinet is locked but in an emergency, a 999 operator will be able to relay the lock code to access the defibrillator machine. The machine is very easy to use and even has voice commands to take you through the process. It has pads suitable for adults and children with a button to change the power to make it suitable for use on children. This means anyone can use it without training, for anyone in need.

The Society wanted to give back to its community and although we hope it is never required, we hope the machine will make a difference if an incident occurs.