JOIN FIRST RESPONDERS AND YOU COULD SAVE SOMEONE’S LIFE

‘All prospective volunteers need to do is to fill out a form and take the training course, which takes four hours’

THE group who set up the successful Dundalk First Responders team more than 18 months ago are now seeking volunteers to cover the Northern part of the town, from the Market Square to the Ballymascanlon roundabout after they revealed they had responded to around 200 emergency call-outs since they were established.

Dundalk First Responders was set up in November 2015 as an assistance to the National Ambulance Service and now have 12 dedicated members who have, local co-ordinator Michael Singleton revealed, dealt with 200 call-outs, including 15 on a 24-hour shift on Christmas Day last year.

Now, Michael is appealing to anyone living in the Northern part of the town to get in touch and become a volunteer.

He said: ‘ The area that we are covering is five miles in radius, though, as it turns out, most of the people in the group live on the Southern side of the town.

‘We are trained to deal with strokes choking and heart attacks and when someone rings for an ambulance, we are automatically contacted while the person is on the phone and given the details of the location of the emergency.

‘We go to the location and do what is necessary until the ambulance arrives. We look after the patient, providing first aid to them, but also comforting and reassuring the families until paramedics arrive.

‘We have set a response time for ourselves of ten minutes, but, unlike emergency appliances, we are restricted by the traffic laws, we have no blue flashing lights’.

Dundalk First Responders are now finding it harder to get to locations on the Northern side of the town within their ten minute time target.

And because many of the calls they receive are in relation to chest pains, they want to get someone to a patient’s aid as quickly as possible.

Michael said: ‘Because of where most of the members live, sometimes it has been impossible to get there within the time frame, particularly to addresses at the Newry Road, Racecourse Road, particularly during peak traffic times.

‘We have a second complete set of medical equipment, which costs around €2000 and which was paid for through fundraising and some local authority grants. The kit contains first aid equipment, as well as a full defibrillator and we would like to establish a group based in the Northern part of town with this equipment as soon as possible so we can look after more patients’.

Michael wants anyone who is interested, provided they are over 18, to get in touch with him. What does the ideal volunteer look like? ‘Ideally, it’s someone who wants to give back to the community. They don’t have to have had medical training because we will train them either via the local Red Cross or with our own instructors.

‘Also, ideally, they would need to have a car, though we have clearance to have people on bikes, which can prove useful in heavy traffic.

‘All prospective volunteers need to do is to fill out a form and take the training course, which takes four hours and which covers CPR, resuscitation and the use of the defibrillator.

‘ There are also ongoing refresher courses too. In addition, a letter from the person’s car insurance company is required, to ensure they know the person could be using their vehicle for this. Insurance companies don’t add cost to the premiums for this, they are all signed up to the First Responder project, but they need to state they are aware of a person volunteering with us.

‘After that, the training certificate, along with the insurance letter, goes to the National Ambulance Service, and you’re in. All volunteers will be Garda vetted too and will accompany more experienced volunteers on calls until the new person is comfortable on their own’.

Anyone who wants to volunteer can contact Michael at 085 7399754, www.facebook.com/dundalkfirstresponders, email: dundalkcfr@outlook.com.