A Fife shopping centre has pledged to register vital medical equipment in a bid to save lives.
The Kingsgate has made a commitment to Dunfermline Central councillor Neale Hanvey it will register three public access defibrillators (PAD) in the town centre to the Scottish Ambulance Service’s Registration to Resuscitation campaign.
The initiative is appealing to communities and organisations to register PADs on its dedicated website.
While they can be found all over Scotland and are vital pieces of equipment in the crucial early minutes following a cardiac arrest before an ambulance arrives, not all are registered, said Mr Hanvey.
“It is vital that everyone takes steps to register devices they hold with the Scottish Ambulance Service.
“There is currently no legal obligation to register defibrillators, which is why the service is asking people across Scotland to ensure they know where these are, so when someone calls 999 they will know where the nearest defibrillator is if it is required.”
He encouraged leisure facilities, schools, libraries, community centres, and other public places with defibrillators to register their devices.
“Everyone can get involved too by asking whenever they see a defibrillator if it has been registered,” he added.
Launching its campaign, the service’s national resilience manager Murray McEwan said: “We are grateful that Councillor Hanvey is behind our campaign as we know he works closely with community groups, projects and other organisations in Fife.
“When someone experiences a cardiac arrest they are unconscious and not breathing, or not breathing normally, and their life is in immediate danger, which is why these defibrillators are so important.
“If we know where defibrillators are in every community, our call handlers may then be able to direct bystanders to a defibrillator in the event of somebody experiencing a cardiac arrest and talk them through action to take.
“This is a campaign which will help save more lives and everyone can really get behind.
“We need the custodians who look after these defibrillators to register them on our website..
“We are also working with the manufacturers as well as our partners, community leaders and community first responder groups to register as many of these defibrillators as possible.”