North-east councillors have branded a new policy to prohibit life-saving devices from listed buildings as “ridiculous”.
Aberdeenshire Council is asking members to back guidelines for the provision of community-owned Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) on local authority buildings.
The policy – which proposes the machines should not be set up on the council’s listed buildings, and only outside any structure – has been condemned by members of the Kincardine and Mearns area committee.
The Stonehaven and District Community Council has also vented anger at the plans, after being locked in negotiations with the council about the location of two of their four defibrillators in the town.
The council has agreed to work with the Scottish Ambulance Service in establishing PADs across Aberdeenshire.
It has also outlined a “presumption to agree” any installation on council property, subject to a memo of understanding with the community groups and ambulance service.
However, the council will only consider “external installation” and the PADs will remain in the ownership of the given community group.
The local authority will pay for the electricity to supply the machines, though it will not train staff to use them.
It will also “recharge” the cost of installing any device to the group donating the PAD.
Vice-chairman of the Kincardine and Mearns area committee, Peter Bellarby added: “This is an important, life-saving provision. Weaving through this policy statement, it seems it is unnecessarily restrictive.
“It is preferable if it is not on a listed building, but, if that is the best location then it should not be excluded.
“In terms of being inside or outside, why put this restriction? Surely when considering location, it is the best location that matters.”
Mearns councillor Dave Stewart accused the council of “penny pinching”, adding: “What is the council for?
“There are all these community groups raising money buying these machines and Aberdeenshire Council should be putting their hands out to these people and saying: ‘you are welcome to this on buildings wherever they are needed’.
“Penny-pinching is getting a second term for this council. It is ridiculous. It will cost pennies to recharge these machines. I just can’t get it through my head.”
North Kincardine councillor, Alison Evison – also chairwoman of the education, learning and leisure committee – said a defibrillator should always be put in “the most sensible place”.
She added: “To exclude inside totally as a possibility is maybe not helpful. Lots of buildings in conservation areas may be listed.”
Stonehaven and District SNP councillor, Graeme Clark, called for the matter – which will be decided by the policy and resources committee at a later date – to be resolved swiftly rather than creating an impasse which might potentially put lives at risk.
He said: “It would be a tragedy if someone had a heart attack and, because of paperwork, we didn’t have one available.”
The committee has asked for the council’s policy and resources committee to agree dealing with every defibrillator installation on a “case by case” basis.
It has also asked them to change the policy to include placing them on listed buildings, conservation areas and inside or outside structures where appropriate.
