Berkhamsted recruitment agency installs life saving defibrillator

A recruitment agency in Berkhamsted has installed a life saving defibrillator on site.

Quanta part of QCS Staffing, Redwood House, Rectory Lane, is now home to a ZOLL AED3 fully automatic defibrillator.

A defibrillator, also known as an AED (Automated External defibrillator) or PAD (Public Access Defibrillator), gives a high energy electric shock to a person who is in cardiac arrest.

There is no need to undergo training to use the machine as it is automatic, comes with full instructions and will only administer a shock if needed.

There are over 10,000 community defibrillators across the UK to be used in case of an emergency, you can find your nearest defibrillator online or when calling in an emergency to 999.

The quicker action is taken once someone is in cardiac arrest the better, research has shown that deploying a defibrillator within 3–5 minutes of collapse can produce survival rates as high as 50 to 70 per cent.

David Broome, a director at Quanta, explained the moment that put the defibrillator plan in to action.

He said: “Saturday 12th June was the catalyst for our decision to install a defibrillator at our Berkhamsted headquarters.

"When I sat and watched a supremely healthy athlete suffer a cardiac arrest live on the television it acted as a timely reminder of how fragile life is.

"The well-being of our staff will always be our number one priority and whilst I hope we never need to use the defibrillator, we now have this available for all, including the wider Berkhamsted community, where Quanta has called home for over 20 years.”

The installation is for the safety and well-being of not only the team but the local community too.

The defibrillator can be found outside the entrance HQ in Berkhamsted, and can be accessed 24 hours a day for use on adults and children.