Asda Larne’s new life-saving initiative

Asda has teamed up with the BHF charity to provide the potentially life-saving equipment.

Asda is the first large retailer to roll out defibrillators in all its stores - an investment of over half a million pounds - giving its customers the best chance of survival if cardiac arrest strikes.

In addition to the investment in the equipment, over 12,000 Asda colleagues – including several hundred colleagues across NI - will be provided with familiarisation training in its use.

The public access defibrillators can be used by any member of the public to deliver an electric shock to the heart when someone is having a cardiac arrest.

The move ensures Asda’s customers, colleagues and people in surrounding communities will have the best chance of survival by making this life-saving intervention available while an ambulance crew is on its way.

George Rankin, senior director for Asda Northern Ireland said: “We’re really proud of our relationship with the British Heart Foundation and want our customers across Northern Ireland to have the best chance of survival if cardiac arrest strikes.

“It can take a number of minutes for an ambulance to reach one of our stores in response to an emergency like a cardiac arrest.

“Asda’s investment in providing life-saving defibrillators for all of the communities we operate in could significantly cut the amount of time a cardiac arrest sufferer has to wait for life-saving CPR and defibrillation, giving them the best possible chance of survival.”

Stephanie Leckey, area development manager, BHF Northern Ireland, added: “Cardiac arrest survival rates in Northern Ireland are astonishingly low.

“But Asda’s bold commitment to become the first large retailer to have CPR trained colleagues and public access defibrillators in every store will be instrumental in helping communities across NI access life-saving support they need in an emergency.

“This really could mean the difference between life and death for someone having a cardiac arrest while doing something as ordinary as shopping.”

More than 1,400 people suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital every year in Northern Ireland.