THE GROUP responsible for most of Otley’s defibrillators is celebrating a funding boost.

Otley Defibrillators’ remit includes maintaining 16 of the 24 potentially life-saving devices that have been installed in the town over the past few years.

Servicing the Community Public Access Defibrillators* (CPADs) involves changing their pads either after use or every two years, and replacing their batteries every four years.

Otley Town Council’s Community Development Committee has just approved a grant of £1,500 to help the organisation cover those maintenance costs.

Otley Defibrillators Chair Fiona Jackson said: “We are delighted and grateful to receive the grant from the council.

“Maintaining the defibrillators we have relies heavily on funding.

“If no defibrillators were actually used it would cost £340 per year to replace the pads and £3,200 every four years to replace the batteries in the units.

“So any donation is appreciated, and with the funding from the council we can purchase 16 sets of pads and four batteries to keep the units active.

“Ongoing donations are needed to purchase the remaining batteries.”

The group’s Secretary, Rebecca Dibble, added: “Having recently been selected to join the committee, I am delighted to be part of this much needed community organisation.

“I thank the town council’s community development committee for its kind donation.”

Town council Chair Councillor Ray Georgeson (Lib Dem, Danefield) said: “I am pleased that the town council has been able to contribute to the continued maintenance of the town’s defibrillator network.

“Defibrillators play such an important role in providing early response to incidents and saving lives as we well know locally, and long may that continue.”

The defibrillators are installed at different spots around the town in locked cabinets. Members of the public who call 999 to report someone suffering a cardiac arrest will be directed by the operator to any CPAD that’s within 600 metres of the incident, and given a code to open the cabinet.

Otley Defibrillators are continuing to fundraise both to cover maintenance costs and install further units in the area, working with with Town Councillor Peter Jackson (Lib Dem, Ashfield) and the Global CPAD Campaign.

Anyone wishing to make a donation can find out more by visiting https://www.gofundme.com/otley-defibrillators.

*Defibrillators work by delivering electric shocks to the heart of someone who is in cardiac arrest, should they need it. No training is needed to use a CPAD as the device gives instructions.