'Restart a Heart' day to be marked in Offaly town
Sunday, October 16 is international Restart a Heart day and in Edenderry the community first responder group is preparing an event to both publicly launch the group to the community and to spread awareness of the importance of public AED’s (automatic electronic defibrillators), citizen CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) and recognition of serious cardiac issues like someone having a heart attack, cardiac arrest or a stroke.
The event will take place at the Town Hall from 1pm to 4pm. There will be CPR demonstrations, CPR competitions, face painting, bouncy castles, refreshments and for those looking for a challenge there will also be a 5km Run. The 5km run/walk has been organised in collaboration with Edenderry Athletic Club and will take runners past a number of the new public AED’s in town where they will be encouraged to take a selfie to spread awareness about the ever increasing number of AED’s located around the town.
Since the group went active on August 15 this year, they have already attended 13 calls within their 5km radius coverage area. The group has shown amazing dedication with all members who are volunteers at any time day or night ready to respond to calls from the National Ambulance Service. The group continues to upskill and soon plans to announce plans for providing training to members of the public with courses to be announced in the coming months.
The most visible impact however has been in the appearance of yellow cabinets on walls around Edenderry at shops like Brerertons and Eden Decor, sports clubs including Derry Rovers and Edenderry Town, along with locations at both ends of the main street. These are the cabinets where you will find your nearest AED with more due to be installed in a number of estates in the coming weeks. If you need to open them simply enter the code which is printed on the box (C 0 for all Edenderry CFR cabinets) and turn the handle to open. To date the group has been responsible for installing six cabinets with a further five expected before the end of the year.
The group also recently thanks to funding from a Bord na Mona grant have been able to purchase three mobile AED’s. These are carried by the first responders to allow even faster response times when required. Collaboration with local businesses and clubs has been vital to build this network with businesses like Rationel, Bretland and Bord Na Mona all providing sponsorship for AED/locker installations. Derry Rovers, Edenderry AC, Edenderry Town and Edenderry RFC have also also shown significant support for the group by moving lockers to the outside of their clubhouses where they can be accessible to the public. Derry Rovers & Edenderry AC recently completed a parachute jump which raised thousands in aid of the group which will be used to invest in more locations.
As the Edenderry community first responders prepare for their public launch event, they know that everybody in the community is behind what they are doing and the important work they carry out. If you would like to know more about the group or how you can help contact them via email at [email protected] or through their social media channels. They look forward to seeing you all on October 16 at Town Hall for what will definitely be a great day.