Heart-safe city of Innsbruck

What does HEARTsafe Innsbruck mean?

The Heart Safe City of Innsbruck project was launched in 2020 by the city of Innsbruck in collaboration with the Austrian Red Cross and Tirol Kliniken. The aim was to make Innsbruck the "most heart-safe city in the Alps". To this end, a comprehensive network of publicly accessible defibrillators (AED) was to be set up and the population trained in life-saving measures. The project was successfully completed in October 2023 with the Safety and Family Festival. Since then, it has been continued as a program by Service Unit Strategic health management and public health , in cooperation with the Mobile Monitoring Group (MÜG).

The program is based on three pillars:

• AED network
• Training
• Awareness raising

Based on the three pillars, the city's AED network is maintained, evaluated and expanded as required. Targeted training courses in the immediate vicinity of installed AEDs are intended to gradually increase the number of trained first aiders. It remains important to continue to raise awareness of first aid measures and the use of defibrillators among the population. Regular reporting and a presence at public events should also help to reduce uncertainty in the future.

As part of the safety and family festival on 14 October 2023, the initiators symbolically handed over the HEARTsafe City of Innsbruck project to the state in order to roll out the program nationwide in the future as the HEARTsafe Tyrol project.

Defibrillator locations

The city currently manages 65 AEDs in Innsbruck. In addition to municipal defibrillators, there are many other private models in Innsbruck that are not managed by the city. You can find all defibrillators throughout Austria in the Austrian Defibrillator Network:

Call, press, shock

The three steps of resuscitation are: Call, press, shock. First, call the emergency number 144 . The Tyrol control center, which then answers, helps with detailed instructions and gives the rescuer the feeling that they are not alone in a situation like this. The cell phone should be switched to loudspeaker. The chest compressions are pressed and the AED is used to shock the victim. Emergency training courses can be organized by the city in the immediate vicinity of the installed AEDs. If there is no AED in your area, you can also attend a course at a blue light organization. It is generally recommended that you regularly refresh your first aid knowledge. To do this, you can attend a first aid refresher course lasting 4-8 hours. The prerequisite for this is a 16-hour basic first aid course.

The SOS EU ALP emergency app can be used to notify all rescue services, whether ground or air, mountain or water rescue and the fire department. Geographical data is transmitted to the relevant control center and a direct voice connection is established.

Is there a publicly accessible municipal defibrillator in your area and would you like to refresh your knowledge in a training course?
Or have you noticed damage, vandalism or the absence of an AED?

You are welcome to contact Service Unit Strategic health management and public health