A recent spat of defibrillator thefts has left Bristol bereft of 8 defibrillators, risking lives, so how can a public access machine be protected?

Some selfish thieves have been putting lives at risk by stealing public defibrillators and selling them on eBay. 8 were stolen from around Bristol in January and more have been stolen from community halls and phone boxes in Surrey, Kent and Derbyshire.

Automated External Defibrillators, AEDs, are there to save lives, often they have been put there by charities or local fundraising clubs who have raised the money to buy one.

The thieves are supposedly stripping down the machines and selling the parts as spares, where they will end up on eBay for all to buy.

The Bristol thefts are currently being investigated by Avon and Somerset Police and a spokesperson from the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said:

“Community defibrillators are essential life-saving pieces of equipment.The machines can be used by anyone and don’t require any special training which means that emergency care can be available to those in need in the crucial first few minutes of a life-threatening emergency.

“The Trust works really hard with communities across the south west to provide these machines and to see eight of them removed is very disappointing. We would urge anyone who has information about the machines to contact the police on the non-emergency 101 number.”

Protecting Your AED from theft

If you are worried about the security of your public access AED then you should look into protecting it from theft. An AED Cabinet is the best place to start keeping your AED secure. AED cabinets are made from transparent plastic, similar to the material used on bike helmets, allowing all round visibility of the life saving apparatus but also protection from accidental and purposeful vandalism.

To prevent the defibrillator from being stolen a red stop sign appears above the cabinet, if the defibrillator is removed a set of very bright, strobing LEDs and a siren capable of creating a piercing 105 decibels, or a softer 95db. The alarm can go on continuously or to a set time, and will only reset once it has been disarmed by the key supplied with machine.

If you would like to purchase an AED or a cabinet to protect an AED you own, please visit openhouseproducts.com