Duston Parish Council has installed DefibTrack across its network of seven publicly accessible defibrillators, giving the community added peace of mind that these life-saving devices can be located quickly if they’re deployed and made immediately rescue ready again.
DefibTrack is a unique GPS tracking system designed by Northamptonshire’s Turtle Medical for defibrillators of all makes and models. If a defibrillator is moved, an alert will be sent to the custodian, while live location tracking can be viewed through an online portal. The system also confirms the defibrillator is present through regular automated check-ins.
Duston Parish Council saw DefibTrack when ordering AED replacement components from Turtle and made the proactive decision to strengthen oversight of its defibrillator network. Rather than having to wait for days to locate a deployed AED – or dealing with the worst-case scenario of replacing a missing device – the Parish Council in Northampton has protected important community assets to bring additional reassurance to the community.
Llewyn Mitchell, Duston Parish Council’s Estates Officer, said: “We found Turtle Medical as a helpful local supplier some time ago and I wanted more information about their new DefibTrack system as soon as I saw it on their website. It has been very simple to set up and all seven of our public access defibrillators are now tracked by GPS. I undertake the necessary manual checks once a month but I now check the DefibTrack online portal when I get in the office each morning and I know I’ll get an alert if one moves.
“We thought DefibTrack was a wonderful idea because every AED needs to be visible on The Circuit and rescue ready all of the time. Now, if one of our defibs is used, we don’t have to wait days or weeks to get it back. We can see exactly where it is on the map, recover it and get it back in its cabinet prepared for another emergency.”
With defibrillators typically costing between £1,000 and £2,000, the technology provides an extra layer of protection for valuable life-saving equipment. More importantly, it helps ensure that defibrillators can be returned to their cabinets and made available for future emergencies as quickly as possible.
Coventry’s Business Improvement District (BID) recently launched a campaign to locate a lost AED; unfortunately, it was never found but the Coventry BID fleet is now protected with DefibTrack.
Mike Dowson, founder and Managing Director of Turtle Medical, said: “Duston Parish Council has taken a forward-thinking and pragmatic approach by choosing to protect its network of defibrillators before an issue arises. DefibTrack was designed to give custodians confidence that if an AED is moved or deployed, its location can be identified quickly so it can be recovered and returned to service as soon as possible.”
“That peace of mind matters, not only in protecting valuable equipment, but in helping make sure communities continue to have access to rescue-ready defibrillators when they are needed most.”
Turtle Medical won Best Community Impact at the recent BizX Awards 2026 and its commitment to public safety is continues to grow with the design of products like DefibTrack.
Mr Mitchell continued: “We install and maintain our defibrillators in the hopes that they will never need to be deployed, but we are confident that we’ll be able to get one back in situ quickly if one is used. It’s not common, but defibrillators can sadly be stolen, or they are misplaced in a hospital after being taken in with the patient. Mitigating the risk of a gap in Duston Parish Council’s defib network just makes sense.”
