How to access a locked defibrillator The security boxes have a keypad number retained by the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) Control department. Following a 999 call for assistance, if the controller suspects that a defibrillator is required prior to the arrival of the paramedics, the caller will be advised of the nearest defibrillator and if it is housed outside will given the keypad number to open the box.
First Responders First Responders are highly trained volunteers who provide the initial assistance following life threatening medical collapse such as heart attack or severe breathing difficulties. It is vital to provide assistance within the first critical eight minutes following such incidents and the First Responders are called when the ambulance is likely to be too far away to get to the patient within this time scale. They are alerted by pager from the NWAS control centre following a 999 call for emergency assistance and will undertake life support procedures and patient care as an interim measure until an ambulance arrives at the scene. This is the only way they can be called out - members of the public cannot call them directly.