Every school in Northern Ireland now has an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) on-site following the completion of a major safety initiative.

Since the scheme was announced in November 2024, 476 life-saving devices have been delivered to schools across the region. To extend the benefit beyond the school gate, some units have been placed in external cabinets at school boundaries, ensuring the wider community can access them outside of school hours.

The rollout complements the existing curriculum requirement for schools to teach CPR and AED awareness. It also follows the training of more than 500 teachers through the Community of Lifesavers Programme, a partnership between the Department of Education, CCEA, and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.

Education Minister 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."

Fearghal McKinney, Head of British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland, welcomed the news, noting that over 1,400 people in Northern Ireland suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests annually, with a survival rate of less than one in ten.

He urged all schools to ensure their new equipment is registered on "The Circuit," the national defibrillator network.

"It's vital that every school registers their defibrillator on The Circuit, the national defibrillator network," Mr McKinney said. "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."