A defibrillator is to be installed by Autoparts UK at its Glasgow site, after becoming certified to connect up the life-saving device. This means that members of staff or customers that suffer cardiac arrest now have a greater chance of survival with the vital equipment, which works by emitting an electric shock through the chest wall to the heart.

“Our staff and customers are our priority, and having this means we are as prepared as we can be to improve the chances of survival should anyone suffer from cardiac arrest on the premises. We believe every business, not just in the aftermarket, should have one onsite, as quite simply, it could mean the difference between life and death,” said Craig McCracken, Group Factor Manager.

The latest version of the life-saving equipment has been purchased by owners Arnold Clark, with all onsite staff fully trained in CPR as part of their first aid training, in order to attend to any individual who may require urgent medical attention.

In addition, the defibrillator has a memory card drive so that vital data for paramedics can be stored for them to simply download when they arrive on scene to attend to a patient. The machine is also registered for public use, to ensure that the individual has a greater chance of receiving help as quickly as possible.

Every year in the UK, around 100,000 people are believed to die from sudden cardiac arrest. According to statistics, the chances of survival when using a defibrillator alongside CPR significantly increase from 9% to 50%.