by Marcel Mattijssen | 18 February 2026 | Uncategorized
PRESS RELEASE
Blaricum, 18 February 2026
Call to HartslagNu and the Ministry of Health: make registration transparent, verifiable and complete to prevent apparent ‘gaps’ on AED maps
City AED Nederland reports that hundreds of public AEDs accessible 24/7 across the Netherlands are no longer visible, or are not visible, in the HartslagNu alert system. As a result, maps and apps may show an incomplete picture of AED coverage and apparent ‘gaps’ may arise in areas where an operational public AED is available.
According to City AED Nederland, this has two direct consequences. First, volunteer responders and residents may be unsure which nearby AEDs are actually included in the alert system. Second, municipalities, funds and other financiers may make decisions based on an incomplete map, potentially leading to extra AEDs being installed where a working public AED is already available.
Examples from practice: Arnhem and Amersfoort
City AED Nederland regularly receives questions from volunteer responders asking why a physically present public City AED, accessible 24/7, cannot be found in HartslagNu. City AED Nederland points to examples in Arnhem and Amersfoort, where responders say they know the AED and can locate it, but cannot see it in the system.
“This is not about putting up more cabinets, but about reliable and complete information,” says Marcel Mattijssen, founder of City AED Nederland. “Making decisions based on an incomplete map creates a false sense of security and costs lives. That is unnecessary and can be resolved with transparent criteria and a verifiable process.”
Call for action: four immediate measures
City AED Nederland calls on HartslagNu and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport to take the following steps promptly:
- Publish transparent registration criteria, including clear reasons for any temporary or permanent exclusion or lack of visibility.
- A trackable registration process for AED managers, including status updates, timeframes and required supporting documents.
- An independent review and appeal process available to AED managers and owners.
- Carry out periodic audits of completeness and accuracy of AED registrations, so that administrative omissions do not create ‘gaps’ on the map.
by Marcel Mattijssen | 17 January 2026 | Uncategorized
For years, City AED has supplied resuscitation data to Amsterdam UMC’s important ARREST research project and to treating physicians. The data is read from the AED after it has been used for resuscitation. In the ARREST study area, Amsterdam and its surroundings, City AED has installed more than 100 public AEDs, which it owns and manages.
On Tuesday 13 January, the ARREST Symposium marked 20 years of data collection, and City AED was invited to attend. It was a wonderful evening with almost 100 guests. We enjoyed the positive atmosphere and the enthusiasm with which the symposium was received.
At the start of the evening, ARREST founder Ruud Koster received special recognition following his appointment as an ILCOR Giant.
by Marcel Mattijssen | 4 November 2025 | Uncategorized
It was Whit Monday, and Adam Jesney, 54, had just returned to Amsterdam after
a weekend visit to family in the United Kingdom. After leaving the airport early in the evening,
he travelled to Zuid metro station in Amsterdam-Zuid and was
about to take the tram home when he began to feel dizzy.
“My heart was racing incredibly fast,” says Adam. “I remember thinking, ‘OK, the tram will have to
wait a moment… I’ll just sit down and catch my breath.’” At that moment, he collapsed.
Meanwhile, 23-year-old Beau Schoots was on her way home after a rugby match when she saw a group of
people gathered around Adam. She approached, quickly realised how serious the situation was and
immediately took action. “I had first aid and CPR qualifications, and I wanted to help,” she says.
“Do not hesitate; act immediately – every second counts.
The AED tells you exactly what to do.”
One of the bystanders who responded after Adam collapsed happened to be a nurse and
knelt on one side of Adam. “I sat on his other side,” says Beau, “and just
after I sat down, we heard him making strange noises. We laid him on his back and
immediately started CPR. The nurse and I took turns while a
bystander called the emergency services.”
Fortunately, at office building entrances in Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, there are City
AEDs installed by the city. As the pair continued CPR with help from another bystander,
Beau spotted a City AED and asked someone in the crowd to
collect it. “Once the City AED was connected, we gave him one shock, and he came back.
Shortly afterwards, the fire brigade, police and ambulance arrived.”
Adam, who had no history of heart problems, says he is recovering from the
experience with a renewed appreciation for life. “The quick actions of Beau and the
other helpers saved my life; my family and I are eternally grateful to them.”
Adam and his wife Tracey later had the opportunity to meet Beau in person, a
special and emotional experience for all three. Adam’s advice is: “Take the training. Have
the courage to use an AED, and use it quickly. You really can make a difference and spare many
families a great deal of pain.”
Beau agrees: “Do not hesitate; act immediately – every second counts. The City AED tells you
exactly what to do. If you see someone who is unwell, do not simply walk past.
See whether you can help. You could be the person who makes that small but vital difference in someone’s life.”
by admin_city | 7 November 2024 | Uncategorized
Homeowners and tenants in Enkhuizen wanted a City AED to make their neighbourhood heart-safe. Welwonen acted quickly and arranged a City AED for the whole neighbourhood, including management, maintenance, insurance and monitoring.
Quickly and expertly arranged – congratulations to the housing association!
by admin_city | 25 June 2022 | Uncategorized
City AEDs are appearing in more and more municipalities and provinces. Residents, associations, businesses and local authorities are taking the initiative. That is good news: the Netherlands is becoming heart-safer. Hundreds of public City AEDs have now been installed throughout the country.
by admin_city | 21 November 2019 | Uncategorized
Bouwinvest is the first institutional investor to receive the Heart-Safe quality mark for its residential portfolio. Following the installation of an AED at a home on Gijsbrechtgaarde in Apeldoorn, the entire existing residential portfolio of the Bouwinvest Dutch Residential Fund is now equipped with AEDs. This makes both the properties and the surrounding neighbourhoods heart-safe.
Cardiac arrest is a common cause of death in the Netherlands. Figures from the Dutch Heart Foundation show that using an AED doubles the chance of survival. The guiding principle is that using an AED within six minutes offers the greatest chance of survival.
City AED Nederland has decided to award Bouwinvest the Heart-Safe quality mark as the first institutional investor to receive it. This recognises not only the installation of City AEDs throughout its existing residential portfolio nationwide, but also the arrangements for maintenance and management. An AED is also installed as standard in new residential developments.
Partnership
At the end of November 2018, Bouwinvest partnered with City AED Nederland to install automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at homes and residential buildings in the Bouwinvest Dutch Residential Fund. With the aim of making residential areas heart-safe, Bouwinvest was the first in the sector to take this step towards a comprehensive national AED network. Bouwinvest has succeeded in that mission, receiving many responses from its tenants along the way.
“I am very pleased that this initiative is having such an impact. One of the AEDs has already saved a life.”, says Michiel de Bruine, Director Dutch Residential Investments. “I am also pleased with the positive responses from our tenants. A healthy living environment for our tenants matters to us. Installing AEDs creates a sense of safety and helps make not only our tenants’ homes heart-safe, but the surrounding neighbourhoods too.”
Source: bouwinvest.com
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