Roll-out of potentially lifesaving defibrillators at bus and train stations

The roll-out of 134 new defibrillator devices at over 80 locations including most bus and train stations has been launched by Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon. The scheme, funded by the Dept for Infrastructure, is being delivered in partnership with the British Heart Foundation NI (BHF NI) and the NI Ambulance service (NIAS).

These publicly accessible kits will play a vital service in helping to save lives when people suffer a cardiac arrest, which can happen to anyone. Details of their location and hours when they are accessible will also be added to The Circuit – The National Defibrillator Network - a database which connects defibrillators to NHS ambulance services across the United Kingdom so that in those crucial moments when someone is having a cardiac arrest, they can be accessed quickly to help more people survive.

John Glass, Translink, said: “This is great news for our passengers, staff and people who live near our facilities. Our stations are a key part of the communities we serve and as we start to see more and more people come back to public transport these valuable kits will make journeys even safer. Publicly accessible to everyone, each defibrillator is accompanied by step-by-step spoken instructions which are built into the unit and explain how to use it on someone in an emergency.” Stephanie Leckey, NIAS, said: “Registration of the defibrillator will ensure that NIAS Control staff can direct a bystander to the closest defibrillator while CPR is ongoing.”

More local news: