Councillors have backed a call for life-saving defibrillators to be carried by all police cars across Nottinghamshire.
Ashfield District Council passed a motion calling for the change on Monday, January 20.
Cllr Sarah Madigan (Ash Ind) put forward the idea after the council installed the equipment in public places across the district.
She said there is “still much more to do” to address the “critical issue” of how available the equipment is.
Defibrillators can be used to apply an electric charge to attempt to restart someone’s heart in a medical emergency. They can be operated by people with first aid or even untrained passers-by before emergency services arrive.
Cllr Madigan said: “A defibrillator that is too far away or one that isn’t available when emergency services arrive, it’s almost as good as useless. We must bridge this gap soon.”
She said police officers are more often than not the first responders in an emergency, and without defibrillators they are “powerless” in vital moments of “life and death”.
Cllr Madigan also urged the council to publish a register of defibrillators across Ashfield, and ensure every resident knows where their nearest one is and how to use it.
The motion was seconded by Cllr Paul Grafton (Ash Ind), Vice Chairman of the Ashfield Independents-led Council, who previously worked for the police force.
He said: “From personal experience in my previous occupation, I’ve seen police officers come across scenes of accidents. People who have fallen into water, been assaulted, and these officers are the first people at the scene. And it’s very important to get these installed in the local police cars.”
Leader Cllr Jason Zadrozny (Ash Ind) supported the motion, saying the change could “save more lives”.
He said: “This council is taking this motion seriously, and wherever we had the opportunity to install defibrillators across the district and ensure through crowdfunding which we’re looking to secure, make sure all of our vehicles have defibrillators as well and our staff are trained in case they’re the first respondents.”
The council also discussed the campaign of mum Naomi Rees-Issitt, from Rugby, who lost her son Jamie, 18, on January 5 2023 following a cardiac arrest.
He had collapsed after returning home from watching fireworks on New Year’s Eve – just minutes away from a locked defibrillator at a nearby school.
As a result, the teenager’s family and friends created the OurJay Foundation and have helped install 43 of the life-saving devices in his memory.
Cllr Madigan proposed Ashfield District Council write to Naomi Rees-Issitt and formally back her campaign.
Only one in eleven police cars across the UK carry life-saving defibrillators, according to Government figures. All emergency ambulance and emergency response cars have the devices.
The council says the defibrillators already installed in public spaces have an automated voice explaining exactly how to use them with ease. All of Ashfield District Council’s Community safety vans are also equipped with the equipment.
Cllr Madigan also announced plans to write to the Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police and Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden (Lab) calling for defibrillators to be available in every police car.
