New Carrick-on-Suir Community First Responders group is looking for volunteers

The newly formed Carrick-on-Suir Community First Responder Scheme is welcoming volunteers from all walks of life to become cardiac first responders in the town.

The group’s first meeting took place at the The Old Mill in Carrick-on-Suir last Thursday night.

The information session was well attended with a lot of interest shown from those present.

The idea of a Community First Responder scheme is to establish a network of people trained in cardiac first response within a community setting.

Those present at the meeting were welcomed by Scheme Coordinator Adam Hunt who thanked them for attending on such a miserable evening.

Also present was National Ambulance Service paramedic Danny Dowdall, who is a member of the National Ambulance Service’s Off-Duty Responder Scheme.

This involves Danny being dispatched by ambulance service control to serious medical and trauma incidents within a particular distance of Carrick-on-Suir. 

There was a presentation on what is entailed in the scheme at the meeting and a demonstration of a full cardiac arrest scenario from bystander CPR up to Advanced Life Support administered by paramedics and advanced paramedics. 

Danny said CPR is such a vital skill and everybody should know how to do it as an emergency can happen at any time or any place. 

Adam said Carrick-on-Suir has its fair share of incidents and having a network of responders in the community would be sure to benefit the town.

He stressed you don’t have to be doctor or a nurse or any person working in the medical sector to join the group.

“We are asking that people from different walks of life get involved and help us on this journey. It is perhaps the variety of different backgrounds that will be the keystone to our scheme’s success.”

Adam said he was delighted with how the first meeting went and it was great to see such a good number of people attending.

“We even had a couple of people send apologies because they couldn’t make it to the meeting but who have committed to coming on board with us.

He said it’s hoped the Carrick-on-Suir Community First Responder Scheme will be actively responding to call outs in six to eight weeks.

“The whole process of ‘going live’ involves a number of different things from online courses to in-person training and scenario-based training sessions.

“The Carrick-on-Suir unit of the Red Cross has committed to helping us in our initial stages and we are very grateful for this.”

Neighbouring Community First Responder schemes in Kill and Portlaw, have also pledged to help the new group.

“Our aim is to gather momentum from here on in.
“We hope we can gather some more interest from the town and would urge any person who is interested in becoming involved as a first responder or as an administrator to get in touch with us through our Facebook account: Carrick-on-Suir Community First Responders or our email: carrickonsuircfr@outlook.com.” 

What is the role of a Community First Responder Group

The goal of a Community First Responder scheme is to assist the National Ambulance Service and to help your community.

There are 43 CFR schemes working with the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) in Tallaght in Dublin.

At the same time the NEOC dispatches and ambulance to a call out to a serious incident, a Community First Responder scheme is tagged to the call if one operates in the location of the emergency.

Community First Responder schemes work in a variety of different ways but the most common dispatch method is through what is called the ‘text back method’. 

This involves a text message being sent to a First Responder volunteer in a community.

If the individual is available, they will reply to the text message showing them as mobile to the call.

This means that the call taker is able to advise the caller that someone is on the way.

Community First Responders tend to a sick or injured person they are called out to assist in their community until the National Ambulance Service arrives.