News

Outdated phone booth converted to life-saving kiosk

July 30, 2014

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An outdated telephone kiosk in the Northern Ireland-based Kinnego Marina has found a more useful purpose. 

It now houses an Automated Emergency Defribrillator, courtesy of the British Red Cross and the Craigavon Borough Council, according to a Portadown Timesarticle. The AED is available in the refurbished kiosk 24 hours a day to all residents in the area. The kiosk is heated and designed to be "vandal-resistant."

To access the AED, residents dial an emergency number to get the kiosk unlocked by the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, the article said.

The Craigavon Borough Council bought the kiosk for £1 from British telecommunications provider BT's "Adopt a Kiosk" program, which transforms payphones into something useful for the community, according to The Guardian. The phone boxes have been converted into libraries, art galleries, information centers and more.

"We've had a huge interest in community defibrillators since our first one launched in a BT Phone box in Crossgar last year and are really pleased to see the Craigavon project come to fruition," British Red Cross First Aid Manager Paula Powell told Portadown Times.