Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Prevention Team has secured funding for a bespoke female CPR training manikin to help reduce hesitation in people delivering emergency care to women.
The new equipment has been funded by a £300 grant from Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone’s Safe and Sound Communities Fund and will play a vital role in helping community members gain the confidence and skills needed to administer CPR to women in an emergency.
Research has highlighted a gap in confidence when it comes to delivering CPR to women. A St John Ambulance survey conducted in 2024 revealed that one in three people would be afraid to perform CPR on a woman in public, citing discomfort and a lack of knowledge as key barriers.
By introducing a female CPR manikin into its programmes, the Prevention Team wants to remove hesitation and ensure people feel confident responding quickly and appropriately in a real‑life emergency.
The new female manikin will be used to demonstrate to people of all ages, including the Northamptonshire Fire Cadets, at community safety events, and as part of Biker Down workshops.
People will be able practice delivering effective chest compressions and correctly placing defibrillator pads on a body with breasts – something that is often overlooked in traditional training.
The national Bra Off Defib On campaign has pushed for greater education in using defibrillators safely, encouraging training to include the removal of bras in an emergency, as not removing them can affect the equipment and prevent it from working properly.
The Prevention Team hopes the new equipment and inclusive training – including how to cut off bras – will help to save lives.
Michelle Bates, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service Youth Engagement Officer said: “Feeling uncomfortable about removing a bra should never be a barrier to saving someone’s life. By using a female manikin to teach CPR, we hope to build confidence, reduce hesitation, and ensure people are prepared to remove clothing and apply defibrillator pads correctly, helping to save more women.”
Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone awarded the grant to improve training to give lifesaving first aid to women.
“I hope that the manikin can empower people to be confident in treating women and help to save lives”, Danielle said.
