City of Edinburgh Council installs defibrillators in all secondary schools in Edinburgh

The City of Edinburgh Council has installed defibrillators in all secondary schools in the city, as well as special schools, key council buildings and sports facilities.

All 23 high schools in the city now have one, as well as 10 special schools, making Edinburgh the first local authority to have the life-saving equipment available in all its high schools.

The defibrillators be used in an emergency situation during the school day or by those using sports facilities out of hours and even for emergencies in the local community near the school buildings.

They are all located in prominent positions and stored in purpose-made cabinets with checks carried out to make sure they are ready for use.

They were fitted before the building issues came to light that have caused some of the schools to close.

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Defibrillators have also been placed in the council’s four hubs, seven local offices and sport facilities managed by Edinburgh Leisure.

The council worked with the Scottish Ambulance Service, Resuscitation Council UK and British Heart Foundation on information and guidance for using the equipment.

Familiarisation sessions have been held to show staff how to use a defibrillator and trainer equipment has been circulated to allow staff in the schools and other council buildings, including schoolchildren, to see and handle the equipment.

Councillor Cathy Fullerton, Vice Convener of Education, Children and Families at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Defibrillators save lives, it’s that simple. They are so easy to use and there isn’t any training required.

“I’m really pleased that they are now in place to help people, both in schools and in the wider community.”

Around 3,500 people in Scotland undergo attempted resuscitation for cardiac arrest outside hospital each year, but only around five per cent survive to hospital discharge.

‘Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest – A Strategy for Scotland’, published last year, outlines the Scottish Government’s strategy to increase survival rates by 10 per cent in 2020, which includes more bystander use of defibrillators.

According to the strategy, delivering an electric shock with a defibrillator within 3-5 minutes of cardiac arrest can increase survival rates to as high as 75 per cent.