As the title says really. Been tasked with getting an AED for work following a recent first aid at work course. Where to look and any advice on what to get. The instructor seemed to imply they are all much of a muchness, but to avoid Amazon.
We have zoll at work. Easy to maintain. Other than that it just sits there waiting.
Ideal world and decent budget: buy Philips Heartstart. Despite being quite an old design, they're still the best in use; I have 3..
Below that slight premium level, everything else is pretty similar.
Just beware of the ongoing costs of consumables, i.e. replacement pads and batteries. Each have limited lifespan and have quite variable prices. I use several suppliers, with Defib4life proving very reasonable on the latest multiple pad purchase. SP Services are worth checking, as are British Heart Foundation, Defibstore etc etc. prices move and stock varies, so it's always worth shopping around.
Same as bruneep, spares readily available.
You can get them from vending machines now. I've seen them outside pubs, in shopping centres, sports clubs etc, I think you just help yourself because there's no card reader to take a payment.
I looked for a running club purchase last year. The cheapest was something called CellAED which was substantially cheaper than other brands - but requires the whole device to be replaced after 2 yrs of returned to manufacturer for test if it is actually used.
Our conclusion was that you want a defib which you can get a training model for too so that those most likely to use it are familiar with it before a stressful situation arises. Look at pad costs and shelf life. If your site has children - consider if the model supports both - some use different pads, but that increases the renewal costs.
you can rent a defib from around £30 a month so might be worth considering.
finally you need to think about where to put it - I was recently in a hostel where I could see a defib proudly hanging in the locked office! Theft of unlocked defibs is pretty rare - even if it only adds 1 min to find the key and unlock it - that reduces survival chance by perhaps 10%!
finally you need to think about where to put it - I was recently in a hostel where I could see a defib proudly hanging in the locked office!
Our sailing club has one sensibly placed at the top of a few flights of steps up from the beach (on the way to the car park) - unfortunately it's very exposed to the sun and "weather" and the printed code to open it had faded away.
This wasn't noticed until one day 18 months ago when it was needed in an emergency - it was eventually accessed with the help of an empty beer barrel!
I chose a zoll aed plus for work a few years back.
The most action it's seen is being taken off it's hook to be dusted.
Price was reasonable, iirc replacement pad cost less than most & it runs on ten CR123A batteries that cost about 40 quid to replace vs 100s for others and are widely available.
Ask your first aid provider, sometimes have offers/promotions on certain defibs