Donegal County Council is to create a database of community defibrillators in the Lifford-Stranorlar Municipal District to raise public awareness of their locations.
The plan was agreed on foot of a motion by Cllr Gary Doherty at the recent Municipal District meeting, and will involve the Council creating a database of defibrillator locations and sharing the list of sites on social media etc.
Telephone Box with Defibrillator in The Diamond, Castlefinn
Speaking today Cllr Doherty said: “Defibrillators are an extremely vital piece of life saving equipment. Over the last number of years, community groups, sports clubs and businesses have been proactive and raised funds in order to have defibs for community use in the event of a medical emergency.
“There are fantastic examples of how defib sites can be integrated into the streetscape within our villages, such as the one located within an old style telephone box in the Diamond in Castlefinn. This was made possible by the hard work of the dedicated volunteers with the Castlefinn Community Responders Group who raised the vital funds needed to purchase the equipment and I applaud their fantastic efforts.
“I know that fundraising efforts are also ongoing at present to purchase a much needed defib to be located in the village of Ballindrait.
“As we all know, defibrillators save lives, and we witnessed the most graphic example of this in recent weeks when Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch while playing for Denmark in Euro 2020.
“My motion will mean that Donegal County Council will liaise with all the community and sporting groups within the Municipal District to create a database of all the defibs that are available for public use.
“This information can then be collated onto an infographic for use on social media etc. which I would hope the public could then save to their phones to allow for ease of access should a defibrillator be needed in an emergency situation.
“By creating this database and infographic I hope that the Council can supplement the great work done by our community and sporting groups, and that collectively we can maximise the chances of saving a life with these vital machines.”
