GPSJ - SPRING 2024 LATEST - Journal - Page 33
NHS & HEALTHCARE
GPSJ
Setting higher lifesaving standards
in public parks and outdoor leisure
with wind and solar power
Turtle Defib Cabinets – an innovative
manufacturer of defibrillator and
bleed control cabinets, bleed
control kits and supplier of medical
equipment – has designed and
engineered the first solar and
wind powered defibrillator cabinet
in the UK. Northamptonshire
Sport, one of 43 non-profit Active
Partnerships focused on increasing
physical activity levels, was one
of Turtles pre-launch partners.
The organisation who installed the
cabinet at Northampton Bike Park
assisted with additional research to
help set higher standards for saving
lives in environments where an
electricity supply may be restricted
or cost-prohibitive to install.
Defib cabinets must maintain a
temperature above 0 degrees, but
above 10 degrees is recommended
so a solar and wind powered unit
could be transformational for leisure
providers like public parks and golf
courses, construction sites and the
agricultural sector.
While solar powered cabinets are
widely available, Turtle’s innovative
design negates the issues that
current models present; the
location and angle of the solar
panel must be optimal to ensure
a continuous supply of electricity,
which guarantees the defibrillator
equipment can function correctly at
all times. Turtle’s product addresses
the dangers of an electrical supply
failure with inclined solar panels
and with wind power combined,
Turtle’s product is failsafe. It satisfies
a gap in the market for shaded
locations and is ideal for blustery
environments, and a remote
monitoring option is available
Turtle worked with The University
of Warwick to conduct academic
feasibility studies, which allowed
them to engineer a product that
successfully captures solar and
wind power. The two-year research
and development period was aided
with funding from medical innovation
support network Medilink UK.
Mike Dowson, founder and
Managing Director of Turtle Defib
Cabinets, said: “We not only
identified that there was a gap in
the market for a wind powered
defib cabinet, but also that the solar
products that were available are not
designed in the most optimal way to
harness solar energy. Our research
and development with support from
Medilink UK and The University of
Warwick over the last two years
has facilitated Turtle to design,
engineer and manufacture a failsafe
defib cabinet that will help to save
lives in places where people were
previously vulnerable.”
Martin Barnwell, Strategic Director
for Operations at Northamptonshire
Sport, said: “It’s great to partner with
Turtle on this project. The Bike Park
has fast become a hub for cycling in
Northamptonshire. Having the new
defib and bleed kit on-site helps
keep our visitors safer when they’re
enjoying the trails and tracks.”
Defibrillator equipment is battery
powered, but power is required
to keep outdoor cabinets at the
correct temperature, maintaining
the life of the battery and efficacy
of the equipment, including the
defib pads. Cabinets are usually
wired to an electrical source, but
in remote areas or places where
installation of an electric feed is cost
prohibitive, solar has been used as
an alternative. It is, however, fraught
with issues, not least because of
the UK’s limited winter sunlight and
limitations on where the panel can
be placed on a vertical cabinet
Dowson continued: “Our design
angles the solar panel in a way
that maximises power from the
sun’s rays, but also comprises a
wind turbine to ensure the cabinet
works when the UK weather is at
its worst. We also offer a remote
monitoring option provides a daily
cabinet status, such as updates on
environmental conditions, charge
status, when the cabinet has been
accessed or if there are any faults.
The unit is compatible with every
type of public access defibrillator
on the market so if a wi-fi-enabled
model is selected, peace of mind
can be gained without manual
cabinet checks.”
Turtle worked with pre-launch
partners who assisted with
additional research and have
adopted the product; these include
Kington Golf Club in Hereford,
the highest 18-hole golf course
in England and Northamptonshire
Sport who installed a unit in
Northampton Bike Park. Other
early adopters of the product are
a construction company and a
farmland-based rehabilitation centre
in Aberdeenshire. Turtle specialises
in bespoke cabinet designs and is
developing options for a portable
wind and solar powered product
that can be moved as required
Bleed control kits do not need to
be kept at a specific temperature.
However, since Turtle engineered
the first public accessible cabinet
for these lifesaving packs – working
with the Daniel Baird Foundation,
West Midlands Ambulance and
The National Trauma Network – the
majority of defib cabinet customers
choose to put a bleed control kit in
the unit too.
For more information about
Turtle’s defib cabinets,
bleed control cabinets and
the equipment to place
inside, please visit www.
turtledefibcabinets.co.uk.
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL WINTER 2023/2024
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