Saul kids back campaign for school defibrillators

Saul kids back campaign for school defibrillators

12 June 2013

LOCAL schoolchildren have been campaigning for life saving defibrillators to be placed in all schools.

St. Patrick’s Primary School pupils from Saul were among the 400 children who took part in a sponsored ‘defib4kids’ campaign walk alongside Education Minister John O’Dowd, Health Minister Edwin Poots and a host of Irish sporting stars on Wednesday.

The Saul pupils joined those from St. Colman’s Primary School, Lambeg, Ballymacward Primary and Friends School, Lisburn in the walk to the statue of Frank Pantridge at the Lisburn Island Civic Centre. Frank Pantridge was a local pioneer of the portable defibrillator.

Art Kernan, from Crossgar, is a teacher at St. Colman’s Primary, and a driving force behind the campaign.

“As a parent and a teacher I am keen to see defibs in all schools by 2015,” he said. “The campaign was inspired by a child in my very own school, Eoghan McConville, who has had open heart surgery and is now actively playing sport.

“Sudden cardiac arrest is not something that happens to older, overweight, unfit people. This can happen to anyone at any time, including children. Fire kills two people every day in the UK — compare that to the 270 people who die daily from sudden cardiac arrest. Fire extinguishers are commonplace why not defibs?”

Mr. Kernan said the children came up with the idea of debifs4kids and worked with a software company to develop their own website, which was launched this week.

“The children want other schools to join the campaign,” he said.

“We believe around one in 50 children suffer a heart arrhythmia and many don’t know it. These children are the most susceptible to sudden cardiac arrest. Some countries already have legislation in which public buildings, including schools, must have defibs on site and ready to use.

“If survival rates increase to just over 70 per cent [compared to five per cent from CPR] when a defib is used, then the statistics speak for themselves.”

Lynda Donaldson, who collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest outside her Saintfield diner two years ago, also took part in the walk.

Lynda said she will never forget how lucky she was to have been tended by a passing nurse and a first-aider with a defibrillator.

“I am now involved with the HeartStart Lisburn and Mid Down group, which offers community training in the use of defibrillators,” she said. “For various reasons a cardiac arrest is very different from a heart attack.

“Certainly something positive has come out of my experience.”

For more information Lynda can be contacted on 9260 3307.

Sporting stars who also took part in the walk include David Humphreys, the Ulster and Irish Rugby star, GAA legend Joe Kernan, whose son Ross had heart surgery at a young age, Jim Magilton, the former Northern Ireland International and the Irish League’s Mark Patton.

For more information on the campaign visit http://defibs4kids.com/