The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, in collaboration with Sport Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Sports Forum and British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland has met and agreed to support the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service [NIAS] to identify and collate the current provision and location of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) within the sports sector across Northern Ireland. But we can only complete this exercise with YOUR assistance.
The provision of AEDs for organisational use and access for the general public is a crucial contribution to what is promoted as the ‘Chain of Survival’ (see attached). This concept shows a series of actions that improve a person’s chances of surviving an Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest. Like any chain, the chain of survival is only as strong as the weakest link. The four links in the chain in relation to community resuscitation are:
Early Recognition, to prevent cardiac arrest;
Early CPR, to buy time;
Early defibrillation, to restore normal heart rhythm; and
Post-resuscitation care, to restore quality of life.
Discussion has clarified that a mapping database already exists within the NIAS control systems and that a method of entering AED locational information has been tested, implemented and is available at the following link for completion.
http://www.nias.hscni.net/our-services/test-2/
All that we ask you to do at this stage is to ‘click’ on the link above and enter YOUR sporting organisation’s AED details or to confirm that your organisation does not currently possess and AED. It should take no longer than 5-7 minutes to complete.
All sporting organisations who respond to the NIAS survey byThursday 31 March 2016 will be entered into a draw to receive CPR/AED training and equipment to the value of £1000!
Remember: In the event of a suspected or actual cardiac incident, phone 999 immediately; the rescuer, if alone, will be talked through how to perform CPR by a NIAS controller. Crucially, an ambulance is already on its way!