A PUBLIC defibrillator has been installed on the Oldpark Road thanks to the fundraising drive of a local woman.

Fiona McCarthy, who works locally as an auxiliary nurse, was determined to help reduce the number of cardiac arrest fatalities in her part of North Belfast.

Enlisting the support of the local community, Fiona organised a fundraising drive to purchase a defibrillator which is now located on the wall outside Coopers Chemist on the Oldpark Road.

"A heart attack can strike anyone at any time," said Fiona, who is the Workers' Party candidate for Oldpark DEA in the upcoming council elections.

"The chances of surviving it are greatly improved if there is a defibrillator nearby. With the support of local business and the Oldpark community we have been able to install one outside the chemists.

Jude Mooney
2Gallery

Jude Mooney

"If a defibrillator is used within three-five minutes of cardiac arrest, survival rates jump from six per cent to 74 per cent.

"It really is that important, it really does save lives.

"However, only 40 per cent of people who witness a cardiac arrest perform CPR so I'm hoping to see if we can arrange some training classes for local people to attend.

"I want to thank everyone who helped in any way to get this defibrillator for the Oldpark area and for helping to make it a safer place to live. They include Coopers Chemist, Rumours Hair Salon, Dee Smyth Tattoo Parlour, Wrap It Up, Paul Steele, Regency Printers, White2 Brown Tanning Salon, Starts Kitchen, congregation of Sacred Heart Chapel and Ciara Daly Make Up.

If someone has a cardiac arrest then the three most important things to do are:

  • Call 999
  • The emergency services should be immediately alerted to the problem. Once they have been called, CPR or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation should be administered as soon as possible, if it hasn’t been already.
  • Start CPR
  • The emergency services will be on their way and you should be starting CPR, but now’s the time to use the defibrillator.
  • Use the defibrillator – this can shock the heart back into a regular rhythm or re-start the heart if it has stopped altogether.