This type of defibrillator commonly referred to as AED, which stands for Automatic External Defibrillator. These sophisticated devices can automatically detect if someone needs an electric shock and can be operated by a person with little or no training.
Heathrow recently upgraded the air conditioning system in four terminal buildings and found a surplus of old, but quite usable defibrillators.
The first public defibrillator was installed at Heathrow over 20 years ago and the airport now has over 350 devices throughout the airport. If a passenger in any terminal has a cardiac arrest, the nearest defibrillator should be no more than two minutes away.
Back in 2013, the London Ambulance Service announced that Heathrow was the safest place in the UK for cardiac arrest from -for its AED network, as well as trained first aid personnel and a team of paramedics patrolling on bicycles.
Doctors warn that in the event of a cardiac arrest, “every second is precious, and without life-saving intervention, the chances of survival decrease by about 10 percent every minute.”
Heathrow claims to have one of the highest survival rates in cardiac arrest in the world, and the survival rate for cardiac arrest at the airport is six times higher than in London as a whole.
Heathrow's AED, — this is the Lifepack 1000 manufactured by the American medical company Physio-Control. Heathrow still has about 65 to hand out, all under 10 years old.
“A defibrillator in the right place can be a lifesaver,” — Becky Coffin, Director of Communications and Sustainability, confirms.
“That’s why we want to make sure that each of them gets a ‘good home’.” in the local community. Anyone who thinks they would benefit from a free defibrillator should contact us to register their interest.