Dickson Calls for Defibrillators to be Registered with the Ambulance Service on The Circuit

East Antrim Alliance MLA, Stewart Dickson, has called for those responsible for the care and maintenance of defibrillators to ensure the lifesaving equipment is registered with the Ambulance Service on The Circuit.

Mr Dickson said: “There are approximately 1,400 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Northern Ireland every year, with a survival rate of less than 1 in 10. However, early CPR or defibrillation can double a person’s chance of survival.

“There are thousands of defibrillators across Northern Ireland, but the problem we face, is that the emergency services do not necessarily know where they are, or how to access them. This is because many of the machines are not publicly registered.

“That is why I am calling on anyone who looks after a defibrillator to ensure it is registered with the Ambulance Service on The Circuit – the National Defibrillator Network – so that it can be mapped and made accessible to the emergency services”.

Currently, over 2,200 defibrillators are registered with the Ambulance Service on The Circuit in Northern Ireland.

Defibrillators can be registered at: www.thecircuit.uk