Community / Please help us save lives by keeping map of local defibrillators up to date
THERE are now almost 100 publicly accessible defibrillators the length and breadth of Shetland, and a new online map shows their exact locations so that no time is lost in case of an emergency.
Click here to view a larger defibrillator map.
Following the collapse of Danish football star Christian Eriksen as he suffered a cardiac arrest during his country’s game against Finland at Euro 2020, Shetland News called on the community to help us create a complete map of where to find the life saving equipment.
We are of course aware that similar work has already been undertaken by the Lucky2BHere charity, which lists 72 defibrillators in Shetland.
The charity is doing vital work in supplying defibrillators and delivering emergency life support training throughout Scotland, so please visit their website and donate if you can.
However, we feel that we can usefully add to the work already done by publishing a regularly updated defibrillator map on our website at www.shetnews.co.uk so that everybody can easily find one when needed. The map itself is at https://www.shetnews.co.uk/defibrillators/ and any updates will also be shared via social media.
Shetland News editor Hans J Marter said: ”Many thanks to everybody who got in touch in response to our appeal. We are confident that we have captured most of the defibrillators that are out there.
“This community resource will hopefully help save lives. To ensure that it remains meaningful it will have to be kept up to date on a regular basis.
“So please keep us posted if new equipment is installed, or if the location of an existing defibrillator has changed. We would also appreciate receiving photos of individual defibrillators in their location as this could help people finding it in an emergency.
“The best way to contact us is by e-mail news@shetnews.co.uk or via Facebook Messenger.”
Cardiac arrests – when the heart stops pumping blood – occur very suddenly. To reduce the risk of dying quick access to a defibrillator is vital.
If faced with a situation where someone is suffering from a cardiac arrest, the most important thing is to call for an ambulance by dialling 999 and then to start CPR immediately.
The next step is to use a defibrillator if someone else is around to fetch it. No training to use a defibrillator is needed, as the machine gives instructions of what to do next.
However, it certainly helps to familiarise oneself with a situation any of us could encounter. This link to the British Heart Foundation gives the information you need.
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