Less than one in five (19 per cent) of gyms and sports clubs have defibrillators, according to a survey by defibrillator manufacturer DOC UK.
Of those with defibrillators, a worrying 57 per cent report that they do not know how to use them.
The figures highlight the urgent need for more sports facilities to invest in heart equipment, and also to ensure that the equipment would be used in an emergency.
“While gyms are not a high risk environment, they carry a higher-than-average risk of having a heart-related emergency on-site. In the leisure industry, we constantly strive to raise standards, and I think that as a result there is a solid argument for gyms to be equipped with defibrillators,” Said Phil Rumbelow, Chief Executive at Jubilee Hall Trust gyms and Chair of the UK Fitness Network.
“I know that a number of other leisure trusts have installed defibrillators and successfully saved a number of lives, and we have recently taken the decision to install the DOC UK so that each of our four sites is now suitably equipped.”
Worryingly, many people in the sports and fitness industry’s hesitations towards using defibrillators are based on risks which do not exist. For example, 68 per cent of respondents said they would be worried about accidentally electrocuting someone who was in fact well, or being held liable should something go wrong – despite the fact that defibrillators will only work on someone having a genuine cardiac arrest, and that there have been no known incidences of someone being sued for attempting to save someone’s life with a defibrillator.
Vincent Mathieu, Managing Director of DOC UK, said: “Gyms and sports clubs have a duty of care over a large number of people who are often undertaking strenuous exercise. As a result it is vital that gyms invest in defibrillator equipment – but also that the equipment is used in an emergency.”
Rugby Team Saracens recently installed two defibrillators at their new Allianz Park stadium in North London.
Saracens safety officer Andy Fraser said: “I’m of the firm belief that defibrillators are essential pieces of kit for all large sports teams. On match days we will have 10,000 people, aged between five and 95, and they may be bringing with them health issues they do not know about. If we are not geared up to deal with them, we are not doing our jobs properly.
“I previously worked at Brighton and Hove Albion, during which time three members of the public had heart attacks. Because we had heart defibrillators, we were able to save the lives of two of them.
“There is also the issue of the players – as the recent retirement of Lee Mears shows, even the most physically fit people can be at risk of heart problems, so it is always best to be prepared.”