Kilmore First Responders will work round-the-clock
A new First Responders Unit will provide round-the-clock emergency service for people in the Kilmore area.
The Kilmore Area Community First Responders will integrate with the HSE National Ambulance Service to complement and enhance existing services and will operate within a five-mile radius of Kilmore.
This community led group was created in the area because of the distance ambulances may need to travel to assist someone suffering from a cardiac or respiratory arrest, ineffective breathing or choking.
In these instances time is crucial, which is why the National Ambulance Service is integrating groups of Community First Responders to be dispatched simultaneously with the National Ambulance Service.
Community First Responders (CFR) are volunteers who are trained by the Irish Heart Foundation to a minimum level of basic life support in CPR and the use of an AED/defibrillator. As they are community based, their aim is to reach a potential life threatening emergency in the first vital minutes before the ambulance crew arrive.
The Community First Responder Scheme is not intended to replace emergency medical services provision, and an ambulance is still dispatched as a priority.
The Kilmore group, which was brought together by local woman Niamh Lawton, officially launched their service in Kilmore Community Hall with a demonstration day.
The group have already raised a total of €1,144 to pay for their newly acquired AED/ defibrillator.
Speaking on behalf of Kilmore First Responders, Committee member Tanya Fenelon thanked the many individuals and businesses who have sponsored or donated to the group in any way. She paid particular thanks to Toddy Roche of Kilmore Seafresh who sponsored the mobile phone to be used by any First Responder on call for the local area.
Future plans for Kilmore First Responders includes holding demonstrations in local schools to help raise awareness of emergency life saving techniques.