{The above image was taken before the current social distancing guidelines were in place)
Redrow has announced that every one of its more than 100 sales centres across England and Wales now has a publicly accessible defibrillator installed.
These devices have been called an "essential lifesaving step in the chain of survival" by the British Heart Foundation, providing a high energy electric shock to the heart through the chest wall of someone who is in cardiac arrest. Without the correct treatment, cardiac arrests are often fatal with The British Heart Foundation’s figures revealing that only one in ten victims survive. For every minute someone is in cardiac arrest without CPR and access to a defibrillator, their chances of survival drops by up to 10%.
The defibrillators at our developments and regional offices can be accessed by staff, contractors, and the local community in the event of a medical emergency. By delivering them to all sales centres too, more communities will benefit from having life-saving equipment in the vicinity. Having a public access defibrillator (PAD) available in an emergency can be lifesaving, especially in rural areas where ambulance response times may be longer.
We have also created an eLearning module that employees can take to learn about the use of defibrillators. This is currently available to all staff.
Once a development is complete and a sales centre is no longer needed, we will donate these life saving devices to local businesses, charities or healthcare institutions which could benefit from having one on site. Retailing at more than £1,000, donating a defibrillator can be crucial for many communities that would otherwise not be able to afford one.
James Holmear, Group Sales Director at Redrow, commented: “With around 30,000 people each year suffering a sudden cardiac arrest, it’s wonderful to be able to deliver more of these life-saving machines to local communities across the country.
“Our aim is to ensure that every time a Redrow development is completed, the defibrillator will be donated to the local community. This initiative has worked well in select regions across the country, and we look forward to taking this nationwide next year. Our hope is that we can leave communities in safe hands after we have left the area, and that more people can be confident in saving someone’s life one day.”
