Become a BODO Ambassador

The BODO Ambassador Scheme is about helping to make correct defibrillator pad placement on women a normal, confident and consistent part of CPR and defibrillator training.

Following the latest Resuscitation Council UK guidance and updates from awarding organisations, training should address the practical considerations involved in using a defibrillator on someone wearing a bra.

BODO Ambassadors help us take that message directly into training rooms across the UK.

This isn't about adding another course or qualification. It is a simple but important addition to the defibrillator training you already deliver.

What does a BODO Ambassador do?

As a BODO Ambassador, we ask you to include the BODO message within your existing CPR and defibrillator training.

  • Emphasising that defibrillator pads must be placed correctly and have direct contact with bare skin.
  • Explaining that a bra may need to be removed or moved to achieve correct pad placement and full contact with the skin.
  • Using the approved Resuscitation Council UK pad-placement image when teaching correct pad positioning.
  • Giving learners the opportunity to practise bra removal as part of realistic defibrillator training.
  • Demonstrating moving a bra as an alternative where appropriate.
  • Addressing the embarrassment, uncertainty or hesitation that people may feel about exposing a woman's chest during a cardiac arrest.
  • Reinforcing that in a life-saving emergency, correct treatment and acting without unnecessary delay must come first.
  • Using or sharing the official BODO training video to demonstrate the practical steps involved.

Our aim is not to make defibrillator training more complicated.

It is to make sure people know what to do, why they may need to do it and feel confident enough to act when it matters.

Watch the BODO Training Video

Our training video demonstrates how to respond to a cardiac arrest involving a woman, including exposing the chest and achieving correct defibrillator pad placement. BODO Ambassadors can use this video as part of their CPR and defibrillator training.

What do we ask from our Ambassadors?

We have deliberately designed the Ambassador Scheme to fit easily into the training you already deliver.

We simply ask that you:

  • Include the BODO message within your defibrillator training.
  • Teach the importance of correct pad placement on bare skin.
  • Address removing or moving a bra where this is necessary to achieve correct pad placement.
  • Give learners an opportunity to consider or practise the practical steps involved.
  • Each month, tell us approximately how many people you have trained with the BODO message

We will send Ambassadors a short monthly reminder with a simple form to capture the number of people trained during the previous month.

This will help us understand and demonstrate the reach and impact of the BODO Ambassador community.

Share Your Work

We would love our website and social media to showcase the people who are helping us change defibrillator training.

If you would like to be featured as part of our Ambassador community, you can send us:

  • A short explanation of why you became a BODO Ambassador.
  • Feedback or testimonials from your learners.
  • Photographs or videos from your training, with appropriate consent.
  • Images that don't identify delegates, such as learners practising with bras or training equipment.
  • Tips or examples of how you incorporate the BODO message into your courses.
  • Your name and/or company details if you would like us to tag or feature you.

We can use these to celebrate our Ambassadors, share good practice and show how the BODO message is being delivered across the UK.

Why This Matters

This is about making a critical part of defibrillator use clear, practical and normal.

Correct pad placement matters.

Pads need to be placed in the correct positions with direct contact onto bare skin. When a bra prevents this, people need to feel confident to remove or move it rather than hesitate because they are worried about embarrassment, consent or doing the wrong thing.

By bringing this conversation into everyday first aid training, BODO Ambassadors are helping to remove that uncertainty before an emergency ever happens.

Because a cardiac arrest is not the time to have this conversation for the first time.

Ready to Become a BODO Ambassador?

The form includes the BODO training promise and confirms the trainer's role within the Ambassador Scheme.

Once someone has signed up, we will send them:

  • Their BODO Ambassador welcome information.
  • Access to Ambassador resources.
  • The official BODO training video.
  • Information about monthly reporting.
  • Opportunities to share their work and be featured through BODO.

Together, we can make confident and correct defibrillator use on women a normal part of first aid training.

Ambassador Signup Form

Evidence & Guidance

The BODO Ambassador message is informed by current UK resuscitation guidance and international evidence.