An emergency ‘bleed kit’ – together with a defibrillator – could be installed in Newry city centre.
The move is part of an initiative by Nationwide Building Society to locate life-saving equipment “at the centre of high streets across the UK”.
A planning application to attach the two units to the front of its premises at Marcus Square has been submitted to Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
A bleed control kit is a specialised First Aid resource which is designed to manage catastrophic blood loss in the vital minutes before emergency services arrive. According to ambulance services, they equip bystanders to treat severe injuries like deep lacerations, stabbings or road accidents.
The defibrillator, which is more common on community facilities, allows for help to be delivered to an individual in the event of a cardiac episode.
Both items would be housed in their own individual casings on the front of the Nationwide premises and accessible to the public in emergencies.
According to supporting information accompanying the application, Nationwide, as part of its commitment to community wellbeing, aims to install life-saving equipment to some of their branches to ensure people have rapid, 24/7 access to vital emergency equipment whenever it is needed.
It adds: “The cabinets need to be in a prominent location where they can easily be seen and, at a height where they can be reached in case they are needed in an emergency.
“We have proposed that the cabinets are fixed in locations that, whilst prominent, have limited impact on the appearance of the conservation area.
“The cabinets can be removed if they become redundant and the benefits of installing these cabinets are potentially life-saving, so we consider that this outweighs any harm to the appearance of the conservation area.”
The application will now be advertised shortly.
