Renfrewshire Council to work to raise awareness of defibrillators

Councillor Robert Innes asked the local authority to improve access to information on their whereabouts and identify potential gaps in provision.

The SNP representative for Houston, Crosslee, and Linwood submitted a motion at Monday’s full council meeting which received the unanimous support of elected members.

He said: "At the outset, I want to recognise the significant progress that has already been made across Renfrewshire in expanding access to these life-saving devices.

"Through the efforts of the council and its partners, defibrillators are now located across our learning estate, council facilities, leisure venues, and community buildings, helping to ensure that more residents have access to emergency equipment when it is needed most.

"We know that when someone suffers a sudden cardiac arrest, every minute matters.

"Early access to a defibrillator can make a critical difference to outcomes, which is why it’s so important not only to have these devices in place but to ensure people know where they are and can access them quickly in an emergency."

Back in September 2021, the local authority took the significant step of expanding the availability of the life-saving devices by deciding to install defibrillators at the entrance of every primary school in Renfrewshire.

Although secondary schools already had them in place, it was also agreed that if they were not accessible by communities then a second unit would be added at the entrance.

The programme, which was approved by the finance, resources, and customer services policy board, ensured access to the emergency equipment 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The motion was seconded by Councillor Stephen Burns, an SNP representative for Paisley Southwest, at the meeting.

It stated: "Council therefore agrees to work with relevant partners to promote awareness of publicly accessible defibrillators across Renfrewshire, improve public access to information on their locations where possible, support the identification of gaps in provision, and explore opportunities to strengthen community engagement and accessibility through existing resources and partnership working."

Councillor Innes added: "None of us ever expect a family member, friend, neighbour or colleague to suffer a sudden cardiac arrest but if that moment comes we all want to know that every possible chance has been given to save a person’s life.”