With thousands of EMED colleagues on the road every day, we’re more likely than most to arrive first when an emergency happens. That’s why CPR and defibrillator awareness are built into our induction and annual refresher training so our teams can act quickly and confidently in those first crucial minutes.
At EMED, we have thousands of colleagues on the road every single day – driving, assisting and caring for patients across the country. That means we’re often the first to arrive when someone suffers a cardiac arrest, or we may even witness an incident ourselves.
Knowing how to perform CPR and use a defibrillator isn’t just useful for us… it’s critical.
That’s why CPR and defibrillator awareness form a vital part of our induction programme, and why we revisit these life-saving skills as part of annual refresher training. It’s one of the many ways we make sure our teams are prepared to act confidently and compassionately in those first crucial minutes.
Why it matters:
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Over 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the UK each year
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Fewer than 1 in 10 people survive
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Early CPR and defibrillation within 3–5 minutes can increase survival rates to up to 70%
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Every minute without CPR reduces survival chances by up to 10%
We also welcome the DVLA’s decision to include CPR and defibrillator questions in the car and motorcycle theory test from 2026. By equipping every new driver with this essential knowledge, we can help build a society where more people are ready to act when it matters most.
For us at EMED, it’s simple: learn the basics, refresh them often and always be prepared.
