13/07/2022
A new nationwide campaign for additional volunteer Community First Responders (CFRs) to support the work of the Emergency Services in local communities has been launched. Watch the campaign video https://youtu.be/M--O7T3TrGc Visit the campaign website www.becomeacfr.ie The campaign was launched by Dr Cathal O’Donnell, Medical Director of the National Ambulance Service, at an event in Dunboyne Castle, Co Meath. Community First Responders are an integral part of dealing with an emergency in the community in that they provide vital lifesaving CPR and defibrillator treatment to patients while an ambulance is en route. Dr O’Donnell said there were currently 250 Community First Responder schemes operating in Ireland but the goal is to ensure that every patient who needs treatment across Ireland gets access to a community response, so this promotional campaign forms part of this. He said he would encourage anyone interested in becoming a Community First Responder to visit www.becomeacfr.ie and get in touch. There is currently a need for additional Community First Responders right around the country and those who wish to volunteer will be given the essential training required. NAS would also like to see additional Community First Responder Schemes established where they are needed.
The campaign is being supported by Emma Doyle, a mother of two in her thirties from Meath, who suffered a cardiac arrest two years ago in her home while feeding her son George. Speaking at the launch Emma said she was a fit and healthy person before she suffered her cardiac arrest which was totally unexpected. Emma said she is so grateful for the telephone instructions from the ambulance service which enabled her husband Damien to start CPR on her and for the speedy arrival of the ambulance and its crew. “One moment I was holding George chatting to my mother-in-law Annmarie and the next I was gone. My mother-in-law Annmarie initially thought I had fallen and rushed to check if we were ok. It was then she realised that I had really gone. Without any warning whatsoever, I had a cardiac arrest – my heart just stopped….I had no underlying medical conditions and did not feel unwell in any way prior to the event. It is often reported in the media when sports stars, typically male, suffer a cardiac arrest but in fact it can and does happen to anyone at any time. I want to share my story and what I have learnt since that day in April 2020 about the importance of learning CPR and establishing Community First Responder groups in every community in Ireland.”
Emma was photographed prior to the launch with her husband Damien and sons Henry and George. Brigid Sinnott, Resus Manager, the Irish Heart Foundation said that at the Irish Heart Foundation one of the key goals is to help save lives from cardiac arrest through CPR training. The more people who know CPR the more lives can be saved. By starting CPR the chances of a person surviving a cardiac arrest can double or triple.
The campaign was supported by Ray D’Arcy from RTE Radio One who was Master of Ceremonies. Ray said the great value of CPR was brought home to him when he saw a man collapse in the gym he was attending. There was no defibrillator in the gym so he ran out to a neighbouring gym and brought its defibrillator back. He then watched as two people administered CPR. Later Ray trained in CPR with the Irish Heart Foundation. Cllr Nick Killian, Cathaoirleach, Meath Co Council, said Community First Responders play a vital role in their communities providing a critical service, responding within minutes to life-threatening emergencies including cardiac arrest, chest pain, stroke and choking incidents. The campaign aimed to strengthen the chain of survival in our communities. Volunteering as a CFR was a great opportunity to help your local community and really make a difference. Ciara Dowling from CFR Ireland said experiences like those of Emma Doyle reminded her why Community First Responders do what they do. She appealed for more people to train in CPR and for more CFRs. Also supporting the campaign Ray Carney, Programme Manager with the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC), outlined the council’s role in the field of pre-hospital emergency care.
