Defibrillator fitted to front of Civic Centre

• A new defibrillator has been put up outside the Civic Centre. Anyone can use it, day or night.
• You do not need training to use it. It comes with instructions.

A new defibrillator has been put up outside Reading's Civic Centre on Bridge Street.

A defibrillator is a machine that can help save someone's life if their heart stops working properly.

This one can be used by anyone, at any time, day or night. You will find it just to the right of the front doors of the Civic Centre. It has instructions on it, so you know what to do.

This new defibrillator happened because of the council's work with Tony Jones. He used to be a Reading Councillor and is now an Alderman for the Borough. He also works with the South Central Ambulance Service. Tony wants more defibrillators, that anyone can use, at any time of day or night.

Most defibrillators are kept in schools, shops, or offices. This means people can only use them when those buildings are open. In Reading, there are very few defibrillators that people can use at all times, even in the town centre.

Every year in England, more than 30,000 people have a cardiac arrest while not near a hospital. A cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops working. Sadly, fewer than 1 in 10 people survive this. The chances of survival go down by 10% for every minute that passes without help. This can happen to anyone. It is not just older people who are at risk — children and young people can have cardiac arrests too.

A defibrillator sends an electric shock to the heart. This can help the heart start working properly again.

You do not need any training to use a defibrillator. If you call 999, the operator will tell you exactly what to do. Some defibrillators also talk to you and tell you what to do.

If you think someone is having a cardiac arrest:

1. Call 999 and ask for an ambulance
2. Ask the operator where the nearest defibrillator is

During the recent hot weather, the South Central Ambulance Service saw defibrillators being used a lot more. Across their area — Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, and Buckinghamshire — defibrillator use went up by almost four times as much as the increase seen across the rest of the country.

Councillor Rachel Eden, Reading Borough Council's Lead for Public Health said:

“Every publicly accessible defibrillator has the potential to save someone’s life.

“I’m delighted the Council has recognised the importance of defibrillators being available to the public 24/7 by hosting one at the front of the Civic Centre, which is one of the town centre’s most recognisable locations.  

“Defibrillators are one of those things you don’t need, until the day you do. I’d like to thank Tony Jones for his commitment to making this happen. It’s such an important cause and I know he is working on the possibility of exploring other defibrillator locations around town.”

Tony Jones said:

"While some offices and businesses have defibrillators, most are not available outside of opening hours. We need to see more provided on the outside of buildings so that they can be used at any time of day or night.

 "I am delighted that Reading Borough Council is showing real community leadership with this new defibrillator outside their front doors and hope that this will encourage other businesses and organisations to follow their example across all parts of Reading, not just in the town centre.

"As the recent surge in the use of defibrillators has shown, we must not underestimate the need for this life-saving equipment. All too often new defibrillators are provided after a tragedy, so let's not wait for that and help save lives now."