Indoor Defibrillator Cabinet with Strobe Light and Alarm

For added security against misuse you may wish to have a lockable cabinet, for indoor cabinets, it is important that the key or key holder is easily accessible so that the defib can be removed quickly in the event of an emergency.

For outdoor cabinets, code locks give additional security against casual vandalism and theft, but may signal the device is valuable and other crime prevention measures, like door-open alarms and tracking devices, should be considered instead of or as well as a code lock. This is in line with guidance from the Resuscitation Council UK. If your defib is to used as a public access device, you will need to make sure that your local ambulance service is willing to store the access code so that in an emergency the cabinet can be unlocked.

Defibrillators can be kept outside but must be kept in specially designed outdoor heated cabinets to protect them against the elements. Defibrillators have an operating temperature, usually between 0 °C to +50 °C, if the temperature falls below 0 °C the defib may not work as expected. Prolonged exposure to low temperatures is likely to significantly shorten the service life of the battery and affect the performance of the pads. Most defibs have an IP Rating of IP55 meaning that prolonged exposure to wind (dust) and rain may also damage the defib meaning that it may not work when required in an emergency.