Gym defibrillator: protecting members right where they train
Cardio floor, group classes, pitch or changing rooms: a gym defibrillator has to be in a bystander’s hands within seconds. We plan its location around your actual layout, then install it, look after it over time and train coaches and reception staff.
- Location based on access time
- Coaches and reception trained on site
- Pads and battery followed up
Why a defibrillator in a gym?
A gym is where the heart works hardest: treadmill intervals, high-intensity group classes, heavy lifting, a match on the pitch. In a member unaware of a heart condition, a rhythm disorder can strike without warning, mid-session or right after, in the changing room.
Around 50,000 sudden cardiac arrests occur in France every year, and each minute without defibrillation cuts the chance of survival by about 10%. In a gym there is almost always a witness: a coach, the receptionist, the member on the next machine. What matters is how long it takes them to get the device in their hands.
Our job is to shorten that time at every opening hour, then keep the device ready for the day it is needed.
Is a defibrillator mandatory in a gym in France?
Yes for most indoor gyms, but not for every sports venue: French rules cover enclosed, covered establishments, with conditions since decree no. 2025-1167 of 5 December 2025.
| Your situation | Defibrillator required? |
|---|---|
| Fitness club, CrossFit box, dojo or indoor sports hall in category 5 | Yes, if it is open for more than three months and receives at least the number of people set by ministerial order (article R. 157-1 of the Building and Housing Code). |
| Sports complex, indoor pool or hall classified in categories 1 to 4 | Yes, since 2020 or 2021 depending on the category, with no threshold. |
| Municipal sports hall used by a club or sports association | The obligation lies with the operator of the facility, usually the town. Check with it before buying; the club can add a device if it trains far from the existing one. |
| Outdoor pitch: football, tennis, athletics track | Not covered by the list of enclosed, covered establishments, unless the stadium is in categories 1 to 4. A device in an outdoor cabinet remains the right answer for clubs. |
| Seasonal venue open less than three months a year | No longer covered in category 5 since the 2025 decree. |
If your gym is covered, the device must be visible, permanently accessible during opening hours, signposted, registered in GéoDAE and maintained. If it is not, the same rules are still the best way to make the device useful on the day it is needed.
Everything about the rules for gyms and fitness clubsWhich AED for a gym or a sports club?
There is no such thing as a “sports defibrillator”. There is a device suited to your premises, your opening hours and the people likely to step in. Here is what we look at with you:
Fully automatic or semi-automatic
A fully automatic AED delivers the shock on its own after analysing the rhythm; a semi-automatic one asks the user to press a button. When the rescuer may be an untrained member, automatic removes hesitation. The Mindray C1A in our packs is fully automatic.
Voice prompts you can still hear
Music, machines, a class in progress: the voice guidance must stay clear where the device will be used. We check this during the location survey.
The right cabinet for the place
A wall cabinet by reception indoors, or a heated, alarmed outdoor cabinet for a pitch used without staff present: the cabinet depends on the location, not on the device.
The cost over time
Mindray MR62 pads to replace every 3 years and after each use, battery every 5 years: we price these milestones in the quote, or include them in the rental.
Where to install the defibrillator in a gym?
Think in access time, not square metres. Start from the far end of the weights area, the group class studio, the changing rooms or the pitch, and walk to the device: good practice is to be able to bring it back in under 5 minutes round trip from anywhere on site.
Reception is often a good compromise, provided the device is not behind a counter or a closed door. A two-storey gym, a box opening onto an outdoor area or a multi-building complex often needs more than one device.
- Visible from training areas, reachable without key or code
- Standard signage and directions from every room
- Heated outdoor cabinet if the pitch is used without staff
- Badge-access hours: who is actually on site that evening?
Buy or rent, with installation and follow-up
Depending on your budget and team size, you buy or rent. Either way, we handle installation, GéoDAE registration and follow-up, and we train coaches and reception staff.
Rental
From €48 excl. VAT/month
Device, maintenance and consumables included, with a minimum 6-month commitment.
Discover rentalPurchase
€1,090 excl. VAT
Mindray C1A AED pack: automatic defibrillator, wall cabinet, signage, first-aid kit and maintenance label.
See defibrillatorsInstallation
€99 excl. VAT
A technician comes on site for mounting, regulatory signage and registration in the GéoDAE national database.
See installationTraining
€490 excl. VAT per group
€369 excl. VAT with the purchase of the defibrillator
On-site session of 30 min to 2 hours for 1 to 12 people: raising the alarm, CPR and using the AED.
See trainingMaintenance
From €79 excl. VAT/year
Annual contract: device check, follow-up of pads and battery, intervention report.
See maintenanceHow much does a gym defibrillator cost?
For a gym or club, the AED price is only part of the budget: add installation, pads replaced after each use and annual maintenance. Rental bundles everything into a fixed fee, handy for a sports association on a tight budget.
Purchase, over 5 years
- Pack DAE Mindray C1a
- €1,090
- Installation and commissioning by a technician
- €99
- Replacement pads (at 3 years)
- €69
- Replacement battery (at 5 years)
- €179
- Annual maintenance × 5 years, travel included
- From €590
- Total purchase cost over 5 years
- From €2,027 excl. VAT
Rental, over 5 years
- Annual subscription × 5 years
- €2,750 excl. VAT
- or monthly subscription × 60 months
- €2,880 excl. VAT
- Maintenance and consumables
- Security deposit
- €600
Prices excl. VAT. Equipment follows our online catalogue; maintenance is shown as a “from” price, the exact rate depends on the number of devices.
The equipment we recommend for a gym
The Mindray C1A pack for indoor use, its outdoor version for a pitch, signage to guide people from each area, and spare pads.
Four gyms, four answers
City-centre fitness club
Cardio and weights floor, studio upstairs, badge access from 6am: a device at reception is not enough if nobody is there in the morning. We study a second spot near the studio and train both morning and evening staff.
CrossFit box
Short, intense sessions, equipment on the floor, a door often open to the outside: the device goes at the entrance of the training area, visible to coaches, in a cabinet that protects it from knocks.
Amateur club on a pitch
Training in the evening and at weekends, no permanent staff: a heated, alarmed outdoor cabinet near the clubhouse keeps the device available to coaches and parents alike.
Multi-sport complex or swimming pool
Several halls, distant changing rooms, a pool: we measure access time from each area and plan several devices under a single maintenance contract, away from direct moisture.
What French regulations say
Decree no. 2018-1186 of 19 December 2018 required a defibrillator in establishments open to the public (ERP) in categories 1 to 3 from 1 January 2020, category 4 from 1 January 2021, then in some category 5 establishments from 1 January 2022, including enclosed, covered sports facilities. Decree no. 2025-1167 of 5 December 2025 rewrote that list in article R. 157-1 of the Building and Housing Code: it now covers “enclosed and covered establishments hosting sports activities” that are open for more than three months and receive at least a number of people set by ministerial order.
Your obligation therefore depends on how your establishment is classified, as shown in its safety file, and on its attendance. For a municipal sports hall, the operator is the local authority: check with it who supplies and maintains the device before buying one.
Once installed, the device is signposted according to the order of 29 October 2019, registered in the national GéoDAE database and maintained by its owner (article R. 157-4 of the Building Code and article R. 5212-25 of the Public Health Code). We handle the GéoDAE registration during installation.
Frequently asked questions
Is a defibrillator mandatory in a gym?
In most indoor gyms, yes: enclosed, covered establishments hosting sports activities are listed in article R. 157-1 of the French Building and Housing Code, provided they are open for more than three months and reach the attendance threshold set by ministerial order. Gyms in categories 1 to 4 are covered without conditions.
Does an amateur club or sports association need a defibrillator?
The obligation lies with the operator of the venue, not the club. An association training in a municipal hall relies on the town’s equipment; a club running its own indoor gym may be directly concerned. For an outdoor pitch, a device in a cabinet is still strongly advised.
Where should a defibrillator go in a gym?
Somewhere visible from the training areas, reachable without key or code, and within 5 minutes round trip from anywhere in the gym. Reception works if it opens onto the gym floor; a multi-level gym or a large complex often needs one device per area.
Which AED should a fitness club or sports club choose?
A fully automatic device if the rescuer may be an untrained member, with voice prompts that can be heard in your gym and a cabinet suited to the spot. No model is “designed for sport”: we start from your premises. The Mindray C1A pack covers most gyms; its outdoor version suits pitches.
Does a coach need training to use an AED?
No: anyone may use a defibrillator under French law (article R. 6311-15 of the Public Health Code), and the device guides the user by voice. But a team that has already practised CPR and handled a device reacts faster. Our on-site sessions last 30 minutes to 2 hours for 1 to 12 people, at €490 excl. VAT per group, or €369 excl. VAT with the purchase of the device.
How much does a gym defibrillator cost?
The Mindray C1A pack is shown on this page at its catalogue price; add €99 excl. VAT for installation, annual maintenance from €79 excl. VAT, and pads replaced after each use. Rental starts at €48 excl. VAT per month with a 6-month minimum, maintenance and consumables included.
How do you equip a sports hall or a complex with several areas?
By measuring access time from each hall, changing room and pitch, then spreading devices so each stays within 5 minutes round trip. Pitches used without staff benefit from a heated outdoor cabinet. A single maintenance contract covers the whole fleet.
Who pays for the defibrillator in a municipal sports hall: the club or the town?
In principle the town, as operator of the facility, since the obligation applies to it. Nothing prevents a club from funding an additional device, for example for an outdoor pitch; an agreement then sets out who maintains it and who registers it in GéoDAE.
Is there funding to equip a sports association?
Federations, local authorities or sports funds sometimes finance defibrillators through calls for projects that change from year to year. Ask your league, your town and your département; our article on grants lists the possible options.
Can the AED be installed near a pool or in a humid environment?
Yes, provided it is protected: the device goes away from direct splashing and condensation, in a suitable cabinet, and the choice is made against the technical data sheet of the chosen model and cabinet. We check this with you at quote stage.
Further reading
Defibrillators by sector
Ready to equip your gym?
Tell us the floor area, number of levels, opening hours and size of your team: within 24 hours you receive a proposal for location, device and formula, purchase or rental.