More people than ever before could have their lives saved from cardiac arrests thanks to campaigning by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and other health organisations, as the locations of more than 100,000 defibrillators in the UK are now visible to the emergency services.
This means that when someone has a cardiac arrest (when the heart stops pumping blood around your body) and a bystander calls 999, the ambulance services can direct them to the nearest registered defibrillator while they wait for the ambulance to arrive.
There are over 1,400 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests every year in Northern Ireland. Tragically, less than one in ten people survive. This is partly because public access defibrillators are not used often enough.
Performing quick CPR and defibrillation in the event of a cardiac arrest can be the difference between life and death.
The BHF has registered 100,000 defibrillators on The Circuit, with almost 3,700 registered in Northern Ireland, but there are many more out there that remain unregistered.
Before The Circuit was launched by BHF, tens of thousands of defibrillators in schools, sports clubs, pubs and businesses across the country were invisible to the emergency services.
Now, two years after all 14 UK ambulance services became part of The Circuit, it has reached a ‘momentous milestone’ – 100,000 defibrillators are now registered.
Health organisations are urging guardians (those responsible for defibrillators) to register them if they are not yet on The Circuit. BHF is also urging people to learn CPR for free in just 15 minutes using RevivR, an online tool you can access via your mobile phone or tablet.
Head of British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland, Fearghal McKinney, said:
“It is just incredible that we have reached a major milestone of 100,000 defibrillators mapped on The Circuit. When someone has a cardiac arrest, knowing where a defibrillator is can be the difference between life and death, so I have no doubt this will help save lives.
“We are so grateful to everyone who has played their part in this, from the guardians who have registered their defibrillator to the partners who have supported this pioneering database.
“But our work isn’t done. There are still thousands more defibrillators out there that remain invisible to the emergency services. If you have a defibrillator, please take a moment now to register it – this one simple action could help save someone’s life.”
John Deery, 64, a retired business banking manager from Eglinton, had his life saved because of quick CPR and defibrillation and has since supported British Heart Foundation’s campaign to get as many defibrillators registered on The Circuit as possible.
In May 2024, John, an experienced long-distance runner, was taking part in the Belfast Marathon and had a cardiac arrest at the halfway point around Finaghy crossroads.
Mr Deery credits the use of a defibrillator for saving his life and his four “angel bystanders”.
“My angels were all aligned that day – from the wonderful cardiac nurse who started CPR, Peter who continued with it and had the defibrillator which saved my life, the police officer who immediately got medical help and protection around me and all the other people who helped that day. My friends Paul and Regina who rang my wife Janet. The paramedics and the hospital staff. It’s miraculous what happened, I feel that the marathon actually saved my life with all of those people there with such expertise.”
John said: “I’m very lucky to be alive and the positive is that a lot more defibrillators have since been registered on The Circuit because of what happened to me, and it’s fantastic to hear there are now 100,000 defibrillators registered.
John added: “It’s reassuring that there are so many defibrillators in schools, pubs and sports clubs in case someone has a cardiac arrest, but people can’t access them unless the emergency services know where they are.
“If anyone is responsible for a defibrillator please take a few minutes to register it so more lives can be saved.”
Michael Allen, Community Resuscitation Team Manager at Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said:
“Having rapid access to a defibrillator is one of the key factors in improving the chain of survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. In Northern Ireland at present, less than 1 in 10 people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Strengthening every link, affords people the best opportunity to do this.
“This is why it is so encouraging to see The Circuit hit the 100,000 mark for defibrillator registrations. Increasing access to defibrillators across all communities will help to improve the chances of survival for us all. We hope this will be the catalyst for many more registrations in the future.”
To find out if your defibrillator is registered on The Circuit or to register it visit thecircuit.uk