A MAJOR upgrade has taken place on all of the current defibrillators in the Derrygonnelly area, thanks to significant support from the National Lottery Community Fund.
After receiving £14,000 in funding, The Sillees Defibrillator Support Group has upgraded the cabinets containing the potentially life-saving equipment.
There are currently seven defibrillators located at Boho Community Centre, The Methodist Hall in Springfield, The Reade Hall in Monea, Derrygonnelly Community Centre and The Band Room at Churchill.
Set up in 2012, the non-profit organisation said they were overwhelmed to receive the major financial support from the lottery fund.
“We’re delighted to announce that we have been awarded £14,000 through the National Lottery Community Fund,” a spokesperson said.
“This funding will enable the group to relocate one of their existing defibrillators from within the Derrygonnelly Community Centre to a new cabinet on an exterior wall near the centres entrance.
“It will also enable the group to replace the ageing defibrillator cabinets in Springfield, Monea and Churchill.”
It comes after a number of fundraisers took place recently to assist with the establishment of more defibrillators across the county.
The community in Garrison rallied in a major fundraising campaign last year to help revamp the two potentially life-saving defibrillators for the local area, 20 years after they were first installed.
Outside the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) station in Enniskillen, another defibrillator was added.
Fearghal McKinney from Enniskillen, who is the head of the British Heart Foundation, previously welcomed the installation of new defibrillators across Fermanagh.
“There are around 1,400 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests every year in Northern Ireland,” he said.
“Tragically, less than one in ten people survive, a statistic the BHF [British Heart Foundation] is determined to improve by giving everyone the opportunity to learn CPR.
“Our free and innovative online training tool RevivR can teach CPR and the correct steps of defibrillator use in just 15 minutes.”
