Out-of-home media giant JCDecaux is set to equip digital advertising displays with life-saving defibrillators throughout Reading town centre, should planning permission be granted.
The historic Paris-based firm has applied for the technology to be installed in at least four out-of-home locations in the Berkshire town, with the initiative forming part of a partnership with the Community Heartbeat Trust charity.
Designed to be used by anyone on the street, without any training necessary, the automated external defibrillators (AEDs) can be used if someone suffers a cardiac arrest.
People are however urged to phone 999 before using the defibrillators, as the emergency service will offer members of the public clear voice commands guiding them through the process.
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Speaking about the campaign last year, Community Heartbeat Trust national secretary, Martin Fagan said: “Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time and after calling 999 and doing CPR, using a defibrillator offers the best chance to save a life.
“These defibrillators are straightforward to use, with clear voice instruction prompts that guide the user through the process — so no special training is needed.
“We know that early defibrillation can triple a victim’s chance of survival so we are delighted to work with JCDecaux to bring these defibrillators to city centres across the UK.”
To date, JCDecaux says that the project has seen more than 180 of these AEDs installed across the country, which have already been used as much as 500 times.
