A supermarket has come under fire for refusing to allow First Responders to install a free defibrillator at its Kinross branch for the second time, despite a man in cardiac arrest dying in their car park since rejecting the first offer.
Sainsbury’s have twice rebuffed the Kinross charity’s request to install a defibrillator at the Station Road store, stating the device offered isn’t in line with the life-saving equipment they have fitted at other stores – although bosses revealed last night they are reviewing that decision.
Kinross First Responders said on Thursday that they are now looking to install the defibrillator elsewhere, having had an offer at the beginning of 2020, along with another recent request, declined.
The Courier understands that on May 4, between the two rejections, a man died after going into cardiac arrest in the shop’s car park.
Early this year, First Responders asked to place an automated external defibrillator (AED) in a heated cabinet outside the store which would be accessible 24 hours a day to the public.
And recently, the group requested to place the defibrillator in-store whilst retaining responsibility for it.
A social media post read: “With Sainsbury’s being one of the busiest places in Kinross, it makes sense to have a defibrillator nearby and many other Sainsbury’s stores have one.
“Unfortunately our latest offer has also been declined on the basis that our defibrillator is not the model that Sainsbury’s use elsewhere. We understand this is a Sainsbury’s head office decision and not the local store.
“It’s to do with the model of AED. We bought the model we use in most of the public access defibrillator cabinets around Kinross-shire, but their head office says it needs to be a model they use elsewhere.”
Sainsburys’ decision is understood to be made by head office rather than the branch themselves and First Responders said they “can’t force the company.”
However, the supermarket revealed last night that they are now reviewing the decision.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: ““Safety is our highest priority and we are committed to supporting the communities that we serve in a range of ways.
“We have listened to Kinross First Responders’ concerns and explained we can install a defibrillator model which meets our health and safety standards.”
Some Kinross residents were angered by Sainsbury’s rejection of the offer and have started a campaign to encourage supermarket bosses to change their minds.
Petition starter Nicola Paisley said: “It’s quite disturbing that they’ve been given the opportunity for something that saves lives and turned it down. It’s a ridiculous reason and it’s caused uproar.
“Kinross is expanding at a rapid rate and there’s a massive footfall of traffic at Sainsbury’s.
“There was an incident during lockdown this summer when a man in the shop’s grounds lost his life after going into cardiac arrest.
“The outcome could possibly have been different and it’s sad to know that.”
Kinross First Responders did not wish to provide any further comment.
