While last year saw Royal Dornoch Golf Club take the forward-thinking step of fitting potentially life-saving defibrillators to its fleet of buggies, the Highland venue has gone a step further this year with the installation of an insulated defibrillator unit at its halfway house as part its continued commitment to safeguarding its members, guests and staff.
Given previous support for the campaign to see defibrillators installed at golf courses and other business premises across the UK, Code Blue CPR campaigner David Sullivan has selected Royal Dornoch for the pioneering defibrillator unit which can be relied on to operate in all conditions.
The new defib Code Blue Box located at the halfway house is manufactured from recycled plastic and is at the cutting edge of CPR support and enjoys United Kingdom Accreditation Service approval.
“Fortunately, the defibrillators fitted onto our buggies have not had to be used in an emergency yet, but members and our many international visitors can take to the courses in the knowledge that should the need arise, this easy to operate kit will be close at hand,” said Neil Hampton, general manager at Royal Dornoch.
“While Royal Dornoch enjoys our own microclimate here in the north of Scotland, it is reassuring to know that this casing will protect the defibrillator even if the temperatures tumble well below zero over the winter.”
Hampton added: “Another positive from our perspective is that the insulated cabinet doesn’t require electric cabling to operate an internal heater. That is a big plus. We required an electrician for the power cable needed to protect the defibrillator box on the outside of the clubhouse. I really do think this will make a huge difference in terms of where defibs can be installed easily and economically on golf courses and elsewhere.”
Surrey-based businessman and former military trainer Sullivan has been championing CPR training and defibrillators after losing four golfing friends to cardiac arrests.
“More than 350 people die on British golf courses every year and that is unacceptable in this day and age with the technology at our disposal,” said Sullivan. “We lag way behind other countries in cardiac arrest survival rates because we have been reactive rather than proactive. If you can get a defibrillator on a patient within three minutes the chances of survival leap from seven or over 70%.
He added: “We have the patent for this unit, which has been fully tested, accredited and manufactured in the UK, and I was determined to give Royal Dornoch the opportunity to be the first to roll it out. We have harnessed aerospace material to keep the defibrillator at an ambient temperature and fully operational anywhere between +45° and -15° Centigrade.
“The next step in the process is to test it at Everest Base Camp. Until now, a power source has been required to trigger a protective thermostat. That’s not the case with this insulated unit, so it is ideal for the far reaches of any golf course, outside business premises, in vehicles or even up mountains and in national parks.
“You don’t need an electrician to install them, there’s no electricity bill or maintenance, and at just £449 per box for tax deductible life-saving kit, this is a game changer. Just imagine how awful it would be if a defibrillator didn’t work when it was needed.”
For more details about the Code Blue defibrillator, visit https://codebluecpr.co