Here for Hatston – OIC installs defibrillator in heart of Kirkwall’s industrial area

A new defibrillator has been installed at Orkney Islands Council’s Roads services depot in Hatston – and the team is keen the wider community knows it is there for anyone to use in an emergency.

The equipment was purchased by the Council and installed late last year.

Roads and Environmental Services Manager, John Wrigley, said the defibrillator was suggested by staff: “There was just a sense that this was something that could one day make a real difference if one of our staff, or one of the many other workers and shoppers in Hatston, took ill with suspected cardiac arrest. It could be the difference between someone making it home to their families that night.

“Our staff are really pleased with how straightforward it is to use - it does not need to be used by a trained first aider.

“We’d just stress the most important thing in the case of a suspected cardiac arrest is to always call 999 and get the experts on their way – many defibrillators, including ours, will require you to put in a code to get it started, which the 999 call operator will give you.

“Once it is fired up, the unit will give you step-by-step voice commands throughout on what to do and when – and the 999 call operator will be there to guide you too until the ambulance arrives.

“We are of course hoping it never has to be used – but it is here in case it’s needed and we’re keen as many people as possible know about it.”

The defibrillator is mounted on the outside of the office at the Council’s depot on Sparrowhawk Road Hatston, in a prominent spot facing the car park and Sparrowhawk Road and within a reflective casing.

It is registered on ‘The Circuit’ – the national defibrillator network run by the British Heart Foundation in partnership with the Resuscitation Council (UK) and the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives. In addition to It’s also known to the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Chair of the Council’s Development and Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Graham Sinclair, welcomed the new addition to the depot: “So often our work is all about keeping vital services and networks going like roads and waste collections – it’s heartwarming to see us joining this lifesaving network and contributing to the community on this level.”