Onchan Commissioners have announced plans to instal a 24-hour access defibrillator at one of the village’s primary schools after concerns of a ’black hole’.

The commissioners say they’ve identified a gap in the north-west of the village which doesn’t have a life-saving device.

As a result, they are going to fund the installation of a new defibrillator on an outer wall at Ashley Hill Primary School.

The commissioners have already installed three publicly accessible defibrillators in the village - at ’The Hub’, in Onchan Park and at the public toilets adjacent to the Manx Arms.

Earlier this month, an online map which shows the location of defibrillators across the island went live.

Coordinated by Manx Care’s ambulance service, it is designed to help the emergency services joint control room to direct callers to the nearest defibrillator in an emergency.

The website - www.defibs.im - allows users to type in their location and the system will show their closest defibrillator.

A number of charities and organisations were involved in the website’s development alongside Manx Care, including: Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation, St John Ambulance Isle of Man, Rushen Emergency Ambulance and the Manx Heart Foundation.

IT development was provided by Juan Bridson and David Collins of MannGIS, an online mapping service provided by the government.

Manx Care has encouraged owners of defibrillators to join the register and potentially save lives.

This is because some people may have a defibrillator in an external defibrillator cabinet, an office, shop or private building which would be made available to a member of the public in an emergency, according to Manx Care.

As of August this year, there were more than 500 defibrillators, which cost £2,000 each, around the island that have been donated by Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation.

The foundation and Manx Telecom are also installing them in a number of payphone kiosks around the island.

Dave Scambler, a senior paramedic said: ’Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, at any time, often without warning.

’Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) alone will not restart the heart.

’Whilst CPR is a vital part of the chain of survival it’s only a temporary measure.

’When someone is in cardiac arrest, defibrillation is the only way to re-establish the heart’s natural rhythm.’

He added: ’We wanted to establish a system to map all of the available defibrillators across the island so they can be accessed very easily in an emergency and this website will do just that.’

In a statement at the website’s launch, Manx Care said: ’It’s hoped this will significantly increase awareness of these life-saving devices within our community.’

l For more information or to register your device for public access visit www.defibs.im.