A new Community First Responders scheme is going live with the National Ambulance Service at 8pm this evening.
Kildare Town Community First Responders (Kildare CFR) have been working hard since last September with fundraising and training to establish the new CFR group which is a voluntary based scheme.
Volunteer’s from the local area in Kildare Town have established the new unit to provide this vital service in Kildare town and areas within a 5km radius. There are currently twenty members of the group in total, fourteen of which will go live on the national NAS/CFR system tonight.
Community First Responders are a national group and Kildare’s group will be one branch of that big tree whose members are the first responders in the event of Heart Attack, Cardiac Arrest, stroke and breathing difficulties. CFR’s provide emergency medical care for those types of incidents while waiting for the arrival of an ambulance.
CFR’s provide early intervention, medical assistance and reassurance for the patient and their families during a medical emergency.
Photo: (Courtesy Kildare Town CFR)
Community First Responders are linked to the National Ambulance Service (NAS). When an emergency call is made, in addition to an ambulance crew being dispatched, the NAS Emergency Operations Control Centre in Tallaght or in Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal will also alert the local CFR group to attend while the ambulance response is en route.
Training has been taking place over the past few weeks and months This week, the Kildare Town CFR were training the local Round Towers GFC Minor Team how to use a defib.
Photo: Round Towers Minor Team being training. Photo: (Courtesy Kildare Town CFR)
Public Access Defibrillator
The Kildare Town CFR group have been successful in supplying Kildare Town with its first Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) which is located beside the Bank of Ireland ATM machine at the Square in Kildare Town.
This unit can be accessed by the public and it can be used by following the instructions on the secured unit which is also monitored by CCTV. The Kildare CFR group are also looking to expand the number of P.A.D’s in the town over time. Kildare CFR are currently looking for locations for two additional defibs to be installed.
Photo: Kildare Town PAD which is monitored by CCTV at Bank of Ireland, Kildare Town
Pic: (Courtesy Kildare Town CFR)
For anyone looking for more information about the newly established Kildare CFR, check out their Facebook page at KildareCFR or on Twitter @KildareTownCFR
