3rd East Kilbride Girls’ Brigade Troop Delivers a Life-saving Defibrillator for the Community

That the Parliament congratulates the 3rd East Kilbride Girls’ Brigade troop on successfully sourcing and sponsoring an automated external defibrillator (AED), which is located at Moncreiff Parish Church in East Kilbride; understands that the Brigadier section, made up of secondary school pupils, recently researched the impact of first aid and the importance of AEDs in the local community; notes that the troop’s findings led to it hosting a coffee morning to raise funds and awareness of the issue, and that, following a successful application to the British Heart Foundation for a donation of an AED, it ensured that the raised funds were ringfenced for new pads or batteries for the AED; considers that the troop is now the guardian of the AED, which has been placed on The Circuit national defibrillator network so that it can easily be found in case of an emergency; understands that the troop’s church has provided training on the AED to the local Girls’ and Boys’ Brigade and the wider church community; regrets that survival rates for out of hospital cardiac arrest remain low in Scotland, at 9.7%; believes that community defibrillators are vitally important to saving lives, as they play a crucial role in shortening the time from collapse to first shock, and commends the 3rd East Kilbride Girls’ Brigade troop on its excellent work and dedication to its local community.