The new Peterborough advertising hoardings that could save your life

A handful of advertising hoardings that could help save a life have been installed in Peterborough city centre.

The state of the art hoardings are not just there to try and make you buy the latest energy drink, electric car or cinema tickets – they also have defibrillators built in, to help anyone who has a cardiac arrest in the city centre.

The new kiosks have been placed in Broadway and Long Causeway as part of a scheme involving the Community Heartbeat Trust charity and JC Decaux, that has seen hundreds of similar facilities placed in high streets in cities up and down the land.

A spokesperson for the charity said: “The defibrillators are the Zoll AED 3, a very high specification device and very easy for members of the public to use.

“Members of the public must call 999 Ambulance, and the ambulance service will triage the event and if a defibrillator is required, they will advise the location of the nearest defibrillator and how to get access. People must call from the patient.

“As part of this project we will also be undertaken training sessions for the public, as well as providing information on the interactive screens.”

The interactive screens on the hoardings will give information to users on how to operate the kit, as well as giving encouragement to users as they provide potentially life saving first aid.

In addition to the defibrillator, the new phone kiosks will include a range of public services including an accessible payphone with free calls to landlines, Wi-Fi and USB charging stations, and a 36", interactive touch screen with wayfinding and council information – all funded by advertising.

Phil Drye, Chief Commercial Development Officer for JC Decaux said: “JCDecaux UK has worked closely with the Community Heartbeat Trust charity to bring these defibrillators to some of the UK’s busiest streets – providing a valuable public service that could save lives when time is of the essence. This innovative street furniture is located in the busiest locations where people are out shopping, commuting and socialising, benefiting residents and tourists as well as local and national brands. As this initiative shows, Outdoor advertising can play a key part in communities through the provision of public amenities funded by advertising including this innovative street furniture with defibrillators, free payphone and wayfinding information.”

Martin Fagan, National Secretary, The Community Heartbeat Trust charity added: “We know that early defibrillation can triple a victim’s chance of survival, so we are delighted to work with JCDecaux UK to bring defibrillators to city centres across the UK. Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time and after calling 999 and doing CPR, using a defibrillator offers the best chance to save a life. These defibrillators are straightforward to use, with clear voice instruction prompts that guide the user through the process – so no special training is needed. We would urge everyone to be prepared, be ready and save a life.”