A team of 16 volunteers are now responding to cardiac arrests and other life-threatening emergencies in Balbriggan.
Emergency Medical Response Charity CRITICAL has established a new Community First Responder (CFR) group to cover Balbriggan town.
The organisation now has more than 300 volunteer responders active in 21 counties who have responded to 1,231 incidents since the start of the year.
Balbriggan CFR group is being tasked by the National Ambulance Service to 999/112 calls including cardiac arrests, chest pain, strokes, and choking incidents in the town.
The group currently has 16 active and fully-trained responders who come from a wide range of backgrounds including healthcare, education, business, trades and retirees.
David Tighe, CEO of CRITICAL said, “Balbriggan CFR group is the latest addition to our growing network of CFR groups and emergency responders.
“The new team of volunteers will be responding to life-threatening situations in Balbriggan which has a population of almost 25,000 people.
“Our responders are having a significant impact in cities, towns, villages and rural areas across the country, working closely with the National Ambulance Service to respond to emergencies in their local communities.”
Walter is one of the volunteers, he said, “The idea for the group came following the realisation that there were very few publicly accessible defibrillators in the area.
“This highlighted a potential gap in the chain of survival.
“A local Town Hall meeting was held and with the support of CRITICAL the CFR group was formally established.
“The group has been training consistently since January and although everyone has diverse backgrounds, each member is driven by the same purpose to help others in moments of crisis.”
All volunteers have been trained to CFR-C standard through a programme delivered through CRITICAL, in line with National Ambulance Service (NAS) requirements.
The training includes scenario-based sessions, designed to prepare responders for real-life emergencies and ensure they are ready to act when every second counts.
CRITICAL charity’s network of volunteers includes doctors in Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Donegal, Dublin and Wicklow; Community First Responder Groups; and off-duty paramedics, EMTs, Advanced Paramedics.
It relies on fundraising and public donations to expand and grow its services.
For more information or to make a donation visit www.criticalcharity.ie