First responders ready for the New Year period
ENNISKERRY Cardiac First Responders are expecting a busy festive period but are ready for whatever Christmas and the New Year throws at them.
At the group’s December meeting, the volunteer members were busy training for the season and year ahead with CPR, choking and stroke top of this month’s training.
All the volunteers live or work in Enniskerry and the surrounding areas and work in partnership with the National Ambulance Service to provide an early response in a bid to save lives. According to volunteer Violet Wilkin, they are expecting a busy few weeks ahead.
‘At this time of year the emergency services are stretched to unimaginable lengths,’ she said. ‘If ambulances are already on calls, then local residents might be have quite a while to wait when they put in an emergency call to 999 or 112.’ First Responder volunteers are dispatched by the National Ambulance Service to provide primary support to local people who request an ambulance. The Enniskerry group recently announced the locations of five defibrillators, which they feel will leave the area well covered in the case of an emergency. Each of the defibrillators was purchased thanks to fundraising efforts and local donations.
The first is located in The Powerscourt Arms and will soon be moved outside to a heated cabinet at the entrance to Enn- iskerry Physiotherapy/Doctors surgery, which is between Magee’s Pharmacy and Magpie Books.
The second is in a cabinet outside St Patrick’s NS in Curtlestown; the third is outside at Keegan’s Farm near Powerscourt Waterfall; and the fourth is in the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation. This will soon be moved to a heated cabinet outside the centre.
The final defibrillator will soon be installed in a heated cabinet in Ballycoyle, between Glencree Village and Crone Wood.
Group chairperson Pat Carey believes this will make Enniskerry and the valley more able to deal with an emergency.
‘In effect, any member of the public can access lifesaving equipment,’ he said.
‘ These are strategically placed by our volunteers to help with response times. It is vital that everyone living and working in the area take note of where they are.’
Enniskerry Cardiac First Responders train monthly and are looking for volunteers to join them. In addition to their life-saving interventions, they also provide training for groups who may be interested in learning CPR skills.
For more information, contact Pat on 086 2564468 or email enniskerrycfr@ gmail.com