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Guide · Kits and defibrillators
Once a defibrillator is on the wall, someone has to make sure it works on the day it’s needed. This article explains what that person does each week and every few months, when pads and batteries need replacing, and what to do after it’s been used.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Most defibrillators test themselves every day and show a light or symbol when they’re ready. Your job is to look at that indicator regularly. We’d suggest once a week. Then log a status check on The Circuit, the national defibrillator network, at least every three months, so the ambulance service knows it’s ready.
Replace the pads and battery before their expiry dates, and the pads after every use. If the defibrillator is out of action for any reason, mark it as out of service on The Circuit until it’s ready again.
What the guardian does
The person responsible for a defibrillator is called its guardian. It’s usually the person who registered it on The Circuit, and in many workplaces it’s the appointed person or one of the first-aiders.
The guardian’s routine is simple:
Every week: check the status indicator shows it’s ready, the pads and battery are in date, and the cabinet, sign and any What3Words label are in place.
Every three months: log a status check on The Circuit. It emails a reminder, and some ambulance services won’t send people to a defibrillator with no check logged for over three months.
Whenever something changes: update The Circuit, for example new pads, a new location or different opening hours.
Weekly isn’t a legal rule. The British Heart Foundation recommends it, and so do we, because most problems are easy to spot: a red light, a missing defibrillator or a cabinet that won’t open. Tie it to something you already do every week, such as the fire alarm test, and it won’t be forgotten.
Name a second person too. On The Circuit, the guardian can invite a supporting guardian to help, and transfer the defibrillator if they leave.
Suppose the office manager at a 30-person printing firm in Craigavon is the guardian. She checks the light every Monday after the fire alarm test and logs the check on The Circuit when the email arrives. Before her fortnight in Spain, she makes sure her colleague has the supporting guardian login and knows where the spare pads are. Nothing about the routine depends on her being there.
NORTHLIGHT TIP
Keep the dates where you’ll see them
Write the pad and battery expiry dates on a label inside the cabinet door, next to the What3Words address and a contact number. Whoever does the weekly check can see at a glance what’s coming up.
Pads and batteries
Pads and batteries expire even if they’re never used. How long they last depends on the model:
pads typically last two to five years;
batteries typically last four to five years in the defibrillator;
some models use a single cartridge that combines pads and battery and is replaced as one.
The expiry date is printed on each pack. The Circuit emails the guardian before the pads expire, but order replacements early so there’s no gap. Buy the pads made for your model, from the manufacturer or a reputable supplier.
If children may need it, check the child pads or child key as well, because child pads have their own expiry date.
We’d keep one spare set of adult pads, in date, with the defibrillator or nearby. After it’s used, it can then be back in service the same day. Used batteries go to a recycling point, not the general waste.
When you fit new pads, update the pad expiry date on The Circuit. When you fit a new battery, update the date on the label in the cabinet.
After it’s been used
If a 999 call handler sends someone to fetch your defibrillator, The Circuit emails the guardian. Whether or not that email arrives, if you know it’s been used:
Find out where it is. It may still be at the scene, or the ambulance service may have kept it to download the record of the person’s heart rhythm. NIAS can help trace it.
Check that The Circuit shows it as out of service, so nobody else is sent to an empty cabinet. It does this automatically when the ambulance service sends someone for it. If it was used without a 999 call, mark it yourself straight away.
When it’s back, clean it as the manufacturer advises, fit new pads, and replace anything else used from the kit, such as the razor or gloves.
Check it shows its ready signal, put it back in its cabinet, and log a status check on The Circuit.
Sometimes you’ll get a deployment email even though the defibrillator wasn’t used, because the ambulance or a first responder got there first. Check the pads are still sealed and in date, then set it back to ready.
Faults, recalls and servicing
If the indicator shows a fault, or the defibrillator beeps or flashes, take it out of service on The Circuit and contact the supplier or manufacturer. Some will lend a replacement while it’s repaired, so it’s worth agreeing that when you buy.
As with any work equipment you provide, you need to keep it in working order. For most current defibrillators that doesn’t mean a routine service: they run daily, weekly and monthly self-tests and show a fault if anything fails. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your model, and check what they actually require before paying for a service plan.
Do register the defibrillator with the manufacturer or keep the supplier’s details on file. Defibrillators are medical devices, and from time to time a manufacturer issues a safety notice or recall for a model. You need to hear about it.
Finally, plan for the defibrillator’s own lifespan. Warranties usually run for four to ten years. Ask the supplier how long pads and batteries will be available for your model, so you can budget to replace it before they become hard to get.
THE NORTHLIGHT TAKEAWAY
Is your defibrillator ready today?
01
Look at it weekly
Check the ready signal, the expiry dates and the cabinet as part of a routine you already have.
02
Log it every three months
Record a status check on The Circuit so the ambulance service can send people to it.
03
Replace by date and after use
Order pads and batteries before they expire, and fit new pads after every use.
04
Keep The Circuit current
Mark it out of service when it isn’t ready, and back to ready as soon as it is.
KEEP READING
Read next
TRAINING FOR THIS TOPIC
Courses that cover this
Regulated qualifications. Public dates in Belfast, Mallusk and Ballymena, or at your workplace.
Sources & Further Reading
The Circuit: Frequently asked questions. Guardians, status checks, reminders, deployment and servicing.
Resuscitation Council UK: Public access defibrillators: A guide for communities, 2025. Routine checks, arrangements after use, and minimum pad and battery shelf lives.
Northern Ireland Ambulance Service: Public access defibrillators. Registering, and returning a defibrillator after use.
British Heart Foundation: Defibrillator frequently asked questions. Checking, pad and battery life, and battery recycling.
HSE: Frequently asked questions on first aid, “What training is required for using a defibrillator?”. Instructions for employer-provided defibrillators. HSENI follows HSE’s first aid guidance.
Manufacturer specifications used for typical pad and battery lives: Philips HeartStart FRx technical specifications (2024) and Stryker LIFEPAK CR2 brochure (2020).
Written by Northlight Training
Review sooner if The Circuit, NIAS procedures, Resuscitation Council UK guidance or HSE guidance changes.