Urgent calls to add potentially life-saving feature for Clare motorists to Google Maps

Calls have been made for a potentially life saving feature to be added to Google Maps for Clare motorists. 

At the November meeting of Clare County Council, Fianna Fáil Councillor David Griffin proposed that members liaise with the HSE and Google Maps to ensure the platform provides easy access to locations of all registered defibrillators in the country.

Cllr Griffin told the chamber how such a feature could "save lives, as we know the importance of time when people are having cardiac episodes."

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He explained: "It increases survival rates and allows people to react in a very pragmatic way. The HSE's ambulance service asks any local people or organisations to register local defibrillators and enter them into a database and then once there is an AED [Automated External Defibrillator] registered, an emergency call taker can then notify people of its location from a 999 or 112 call."

Cllr Griffin noted how some publicly accessible AED's may already be available to view on Google Maps but emphasised that "the database is there and we need to utilise it in a more tech savvy way."

"People, realistically in this day and age, they live on their phones and they react on their phones and I think if in this situation most people would like to be able to put ‘defibrillator near me’ [into Google Maps] and get the co-ordinates - it could save lives."

Cllr Antoinette Baker Bashua seconded the motion, noting that in an emergency, panic can set in and "you use what is available to you and the most available thing to you is your phone."

She added that it would be a major benefit to people if they could see the locations of defibrillators on Google Maps and trust that the HSE had worked with Google to ensure the information was accurate and up-to-date.

Sinn Féin Councillor James Ryan supported the motion and spoke on a defibrillator project he is working on in his locality, saying that anyone unfamiliar with an area would "be completely lost at present" when trying to locate a defibrillator.

Cllr Joe Killeen also supported the motion but highlighted the potential challenges involved. He said that while it might appear to be a simple proposal, coordinating between state agencies is rarely straightforward.

He questioned if all defibrillators are registered and inspected and whether a fully coordinated system even exists, also wondering if the Gardaí and HSE could possibly link into Google Maps to provide accurate information.

Despite these concerns, he said it is something that is needed and urged the council to work towards putting it in place.

Cllr Tom O’Callaghan supported the motion, noting that many people might not know how to use a defibrillator in an emergency.

He further highlighted the importance of ensuring that these devices are properly checked and will work if needed.

As well as this, Fine Gael Councillor Joe Garrihy supported the motion and referenced his recent engagement with Community First Responder groups.

He said their work shows the importance of knowing exactly where defibrillators are located and that improving coordination between local initiatives and emergency services would help strengthen that network.

Cllr Tommy Guilfoyle described the motion as “fabulous” and acknowledged that bureaucracy can make implementation challenging.

He said that while Google Maps may not directly display certain community or voluntary sites, organisations can use the platform via links on other websites to highlight locations, a solution they could consider if direct integration proves difficult.

Cllr David Griffin concluded by thanking his fellow councillors for their support and acknowledged their concerns, noting that the HSE would be responsible for maintaining their existing list of defibrillators.

He added that linking in devices that are not currently registered would not only increase the number on the official list but could also reduce the burden on community groups by formalising more defibrillators under the HSE.