Education Minister Paul Givan has announced that every school in Northern Ireland now has a life-saving defibrillator on site.
The initiative to rollout Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) has seen 476 defibrillators delivered to schools since it was announced in November 2024. The completion of the scheme means that all school premises in Northern Ireland now have access to this equipment.
Some of these devices will be placed in external cabinets at school boundaries where needed, making them accessible to the wider community outside school hours.
Paul Givan said: “The importance of defibrillators in schools cannot be overstated. Schools are often situated at the centre of communities in our cities, towns and villages. They play a vital role in serving those communities and wider society, both as physical hubs and by equipping our children and young people with vital skills, knowledge and confidence that could potentially save lives.
“The rollout of these devices builds on existing requirements for schools to teach CPR and AED awareness within the curriculum. Together, these practical steps are hugely significant for the health and safety of our schools and the communities they serve.
“Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces a person’s chances of survival by up to 10%, so quick access to these devices is vital. By delivering on my commitment to provide these life-saving devices to every school in Northern Ireland, teachers, pupils and the wider community can now be reassured that a defibrillator will be within reach should an emergency strike.”
Since 2022, over 500 teachers have been trained through the Community of Lifesavers Programme, developed by the Department in partnership with CCEA and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.
Head of British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland, Fearghal McKinney, welcomed the announcement that every school in Northern Ireland now has access to a life-saving device. Fearghal said: “Each year over 1,400 people in Northern Ireland have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and the survival rate is less than 1 in 10. Having defibrillators throughout schools in Northern Ireland and where possible, being accessible to the wider community, will undoubtedly increase the chance of saving more lives.”
“We’ve been working with schools across Northern Ireland to support life-saving training with BHF’s interactive learning tool Classroom RevivR and have provided support and information to the Department to ensure teachers are equipped with all the tools they need to facilitate training.”
Fearghal added: “It’s vital that every school registers their defibrillator on The Circuit, the national defibrillator network. When someone collapses with a cardiac arrest, the person who witnesses it may not know the school has a defibrillator, where it’s kept, or how to access it. When a defibrillator is registered and 999 is called, the ambulance service can rapidly provide directions to the nearest available device. This avoids losing crucial, potentially lifesaving minutes. Registration is quick, free to do, and could help save a life.”
Photo Caption: Education Minister Paul Givan at Ballymoney HS, announcing the full rollout of defibrillators to all schools across Northern Ireland with Ballymoney HS pupils Poppy and Joe.
