Provision Of Automated External Defibrillators

• Place your defibrillator in an accessible location with signage above.
• Contact The Circuit and register , it’s free – use a generic mailbox and provide access hours that the school is open.  Once registered, please order your free stickers via The Circuit - Stickers for Cabinet & Defib to place on the defibrillator.
• Apply the school’s name and address to the defibrillator.
• Ensure staff and students know the location of the defibrillator.
• If the defibrillator is temporarily moved to another location which is not an emergency e .g. a sports event elsewhere on the school site – display a prominent notice providing contact details of the staff member who is holding the defibrillator.
• Training is not required but awareness training is recommended. (Further details under Resources)
• General checks/ maintenance is required, either weekly/monthly and should be recorded on The Circuit.
• Replacement pads/batteries can be ordered from EA or DE (VG & GMI only).
• A reminder will issue from The Circuit , if registered and a ‘status check is outstanding. 

This Information Pack has issued in accordance with ‘Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) Information for Schools’ which issued in November 2024.

• Decide on the best, easily accessible location in the school for your defibrillator. This should ideally be situated no further than a two-minute brisk walk from the areas where they are most likely to be needed e.g. the school reception or PE department etc.
• Place the defibrillator in the designated location with signage above. Apply the school’s name and address to the defibrillator.
• Register your defibrillator on The Circuit (further details in part 3 below) The Circuit , with a generic/shared inbox email address – registration is free.
• Ensure all staff and students (post-primary) are aware of the location of the defibrillator and that it can be used by members of the public who have been directed by the NI Ambulance Service (NIAS) as the nearest defibrillator in the area.

• The Department of Education (DE) is providing defibrillators to schools across Northern Ireland to help save lives within communities from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
• There are around 1,400 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) each year in Northern Ireland. Less than 1 in 10 people survive an OHCA, but early CPR and defibrillation can more than double the chances of survival.
• A study has shown that 37% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur within 300m of a school.1 Often at the heart of our communities, schools are an ideal location for defib placement so that they can be available and accessible in the case of emergency.
• This project will equip communities with life saving devices increasing the number of defibrillators across Northern Ireland by 15% and will place 45 defibrillators in 37 areas that do not currently have a defibrillator registered on The Circuit.
• The project will also increase the number of defibrillators in the 20% most deprived areas in Northern Ireland by 20%. These areas suffer the lowest survival rate from OHCA2.

Placement

• The moment someone has a cardiac arrest the clock starts ticking. Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces their chances of survival. The priority is to apply a defibrillator to the person in cardiac arrest with the absolute minimum delay.
• In some areas with little or no access it is important to place defibrillators on external boundaries of schools, where possible, and ensure they are available to all members of the community. Placing defibrillators in external, unlocked cabinets ensures quick and easy access, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Ultimately, helping defibrillators get to patients more quickly and increasing their chance of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
• Analysis of The Circuit data in Northern Ireland over the last five years shows that recorded theft and vandalism is extremely low. In some cases, reported vandalism/stolen defibs are, in fact, bystanders trying to access the defibs in genuine emergencies, to try and save a life.

Resources:

• Each defibrillator must be registered on The Circuit – the national defibrillator network, which means it will be visible to the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS). This will allow them to direct bystanders to it in an emergency and the school should lend their defibrillator to members of the public who have been directed by the NIAS as the nearest defibrillator.
• A defibrillator registered on The Circuit can mean the difference between life and death.
• IF A DEFIBRILLATOR ISN’T REGISTERED ON THE CIRCUIT, THE NIAS CANNOT SEE IT AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAVE A LIFE COULD BE MISSED.
• The Circuit is the national defibrillator network and syncs with NIAS systems every 60 seconds to provide location and access information to NIAS call handlers in an emergency. They use this data to send bystanders to collect defibrillators in an emergency to help save lives in communities.
• Registration is quick, easy and free and helps those that look after defibrillators (known as Guardians) to maintain their defibrillator with automated communication reminders, so it is ready to use in an emergency.
• Schools must register with a generic/shared inbox email address such as reception@, info@ or headteacher@. This ensures that if someone leaves the school, other colleagues will be able to access the account on The Circuit to continue to look after the defibrillator.
• If your defibrillator is located inside the school building e.g. at reception or PE area, you can still register on the Circuit and include available times such as Monday – Friday 8.30am – 3.30pm etc.
• Once registered, please order your free stickers via the following link The Circuit - Stickers for Cabinet & Defib to place on the defibrillator and, if applicable the cabinet, to let your community know that your defibrillator is registered. This also allows you to mark your defibrillator with your address and telephone number so the defibrillator can easily be returned if used in an emergency.

Resources

• The defibrillator must be physically checked at least once a month, and this check must be recorded on The Circuit. (Check the light is flashing for ready state, check pads are in date, check it is in the designated location and the school name and address are clearly marked on it).
• The Circuit will send email reminders for certain tasks and will alert via email if the defibrillator has been deployed by NIAS.

Replacement Parts

The DE will fund replacement electrode pads and batteries. If the defibrillator is used, replacements can be ordered by contacting the EA. To Note: Voluntary Grammar or Grant Maintained Schools should contact the DE by email at asset.management@education-ni.gov.uk. Controlled and Maintained Schools should contact EA by email at easafetyteam@eani.org.uk .Planned replacement of pads and batteries will be managed centrally, you will be notified when they are expiring, and replacements should be ordered immediately.

Maintenance on The Circuit

• Once the defibrillator is registered, The Circuit will send out emails to the Guardian to remind them to complete certain actions.
• You must physically check your defibrillator is showing its ready signal and that the pads are in date at least once a month (some Guardians prefer to do this weekly or even daily).
• Once you have completed the physical check of the defibrillator, you must record this check on The Circuit by completing a ‘status check’. It takes just minutes and provides the NIAS with the confidence your defibrillator is ready to use if needed. If you forget to do this The Circuit will send you a reminder email after 90 days to remind you to complete the status check.
• The Circuit will also send your Guardian an email if a bystander is sent to collect your defibrillator in an emergency. If your defibrillator is deployed it will be automatically taken ‘offline’ and will require the Guardian to check the defibrillator, replace any consumables (e.g. pads) that may have been used andthen complete a status check on The Circuit to ensure it is showing as ‘emergency ready’ again..

Resources

• It is important to ensure that all staff know the process if someone is sent to your defibrillator in an emergency.
• Ideally your defibrillator will be in a publicly accessible location as this will ensure it is available 24/7 throughout the year, if installed on an external boundary, or during the day when the school is open. This will ensure that it can be collected at any time.
• If your defibrillator is in school, it should still be given out to a member of public who has been directed to the school by the NIAS as the nearest defibrillator.
• It’s important that your staff and students are aware of the location and purpose of the defibrillator and that bystanders from a cardiac arrest may be sent to fetch it. These bystanders will most likely be from the community immediately around the school premises.
• The defibrillator will likely be returned to you (particularly if you have completed the sticker with your contact details), once it is no longer needed.
• If your defibrillator is not returned following a deployment, then enquiries in the local area via social media or other channels routinely used by the school will often help locate it. If this doesn’t work then contact the NIAS, who should be able find it. Entering the serial number on your defibrillators record on The Circuit will help the ambulance service return deployed defibrillators too. You can contact NIAS via: resus.aed@nias.hscni.net

• Training is not needed to use a defibrillator, it will give clear instructions on what to do, but awareness training for staff, students and the community is recommended. For more information visit the British Heart Foundation website.
• You can register and use Classroom RevivR which is a fun, free and interactive CPR training and defibrillator awareness tool designed for ages 11 – 16.
• It’s important that if someone has a cardiac arrest in front of you, you call 999 immediately. They will send an ambulance, and the call handler will be able to talk you through CPR. They will also be able to tell you where your closest, available defibrillator is – as long it is registered on The Circuit.
• Defibrillators are incredibly easy to use as you simply turn them on and follow the instructions. You cannot shock someone that doesn’t need a shock, and the defibrillator will guide you through what needs to happen next.
• RevivR is BHF’s free, online, interactive learning tool which provides awareness training on how to spot a cardiac arrest and allows you to practice the steps to CPR and using a defibrillator.

Resources: