300 Defibrillators Availablle

The Department for Communities and Sport Northern Ireland have launched a new initiative to provide life-saving defibrillators to sports clubs and organisations.

The intended purpose is to increase the number of Automated External Defibrillator (AED) devices available in community settings.

Almost 300 AED devices will be distributed amongst sporting clubs/organisations as part of the initiative. With these additional devices it is envisaged that Public Access Defibrillation will increase, supporting the Department of Health’s Community Resuscitation Strategy.

Approximately 1,400 Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrests (OHCAs) take place in Northern Ireland per annum, with an OHCA victim’s chances of survival decreasing by around 10% with each passing minute. International research has shown that where an AED device is available, victims are defibrillated much sooner and have a better chance of survival.

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