Sports clubs and organisations in eight local council areas are being invited to apply for free automated external defibrillator (AED) devices as as Sport Northern Ireland re-opens the Defibrillators for Sport initiative.
Originally launched by the Department for Communities and Sport NI in July 2016, the initiative has so far seen over 1,000 AEDs allocated to organisations across Northern Ireland.
The project allocated a specific number of devices across each of Northern Ireland’s local council areas using an allocation methodology designed to ensure that devices are located in areas deemed to be of greatest need. The allocation model ensures a fair allocation of devices, taking ‘proximity to services’ and ‘population by District Council area’ into account.
The project has now exhausted applicants in eight of the eleven local council areas, and is inviting sports clubs and organisations located in the council areas below to apply for one of the remaining 195 devices to be distributed:
- Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council
- Ards and North Down Borough Council
- Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council
- Derry City and Strabane District Council
- Fermanagh and Omagh District Council
- Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council
- Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
- Mid Ulster District Council
The remaining three local council areas (Belfast City, Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon, and Newry, Mourne & Down) are oversubscribed due to high numbers of applications and distribution of defibrillators and are therefore not included in Phase 3 of the Defibrillators for Sport initiative.
Who Can Apply?
Sports clubs and organisations in the eight local council area listed above are welcome to apply. Even if the club / organisation already possesses a defibrillator, you may be eligible to receive a new AED device through this initiative.
The Community Resuscitation Strategy has identified the need to increase provision of AEDs in community settings and this survey will gauge the requirement from a sporting perspective. If your club / organisation already has an AED, devices obtained prior to 2007 should be considered obsolete and measures should be taken to replace such equipment. Accordingly, clubs with older devices will be eligible to apply for a new AED.
To make an application, please click here
Please note the closing date for applications is Monday 4th September 2017 at 12noon.
Free Defibrillator Awareness Training will also be offered to all successful clubs / organisations.