On World First Aid Day on Saturday, Red Cross Flanders urged people across Flanders to check whether automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, in their area are still in place and accessible.
Using the First Aid app, people can verify whether a device is still at its listed location, report errors and add missing AEDs. The app currently contains 9,511 registered devices.
According to Red Cross Flanders, there is currently no fully up-to-date and centrally validated public list that confirms exactly where every AED is located and when it can be accessed. Some devices may have been moved, removed or placed behind locked doors.
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The organisation therefore wants residents to help keep the database accurate. A new location or proposed change is only added permanently once the same information has been confirmed by three different users.
Users can also earn points by checking or updating AED information. The aim is to keep the map constantly updated by people who know the devices in their own neighbourhood.
Of the 9,511 AEDs currently listed in the app, 2,556 are in Antwerp. East Flanders has 2,055 devices and West Flanders 1,920, while Limburg has 1,546 and Flemish Brabant 1,434.
The campaign is intended to help people find defibrillators more quickly in an emergency. Red Cross Flanders said about 30 people in Belgium suffer a cardiac arrest outside hospital every day, with only 5 to 10% surviving.
The organisation said survival chances can rise to 70% if cardiopulmonary resuscitation is started quickly and an AED is used within three to five minutes.
An AED analyses the heart rhythm and, if necessary, can deliver an electric shock to help restore a normal rhythm. The device gives step-by-step instructions and can also be used by people without medical training.
A representative survey commissioned by Red Cross Flanders also found that 61% of people in Flanders say they do not know what to do in the event of a cardiac arrest. As many as 94% said they do not fully master the main first aid techniques.
In addition to showing AED locations, the app also provides step-by-step guidance for emergencies including cardiac arrest, unconsciousness, choking and bleeding.
