Am I responsible if my defibrillator was unavailable when it was needed?

If the defibrillator you look after is not available for use when needed and the person who had the cardiac arrest died, you are not responsible for their death. This is an unfortunate situation, but sometimes it’s unavoidable.  

For example:

• The ambulance service may not have returned it after the last time it was used.
• There may have been a problem with the supply of replacement pads.
• The battery could have expired between regular checks.

A defibrillator increases the chance of survival, but it does not guarantee it. If the defibrillator was not available or not working, then there’s nothing you could have done.