Councillor calls for Tipperary fire crews to be sent to some cardiac emergencies

A councillor has pressed for Tipperary’s fire fighters to be called to cardiac arrest emergencies where the ambulance service is under pressure or a long distance from the casualt. But council management have told him it’s a decision to be taken at national level.
Independent Cllr Jim Ryan put the proposal to Tipperary County Council management at the council’s monthly meeting to help save lives and take pressure off National Ambulance Service crews under stress at the moment.
He argued defibrillators were installed in fire brigades and their crews are trained to use them while ambulance crews were stressed out and being called out to medical emergencies in other counties.
“It just makes sense to save lives if our fire crews are fully trained and nearer,” he pointed out.
The Thurles councillor said if an ambulance was half an hour or one hour away from a casualty it only made sense that a fire crew be sent out in the case of someone having a heart attack.
He couldn’t understand why there wasn't some joined up thinking about this.
Fellow Independent Cllr Máirin McGrath supported Cllr Ryan.
“We all know how overwhelmed the Ambulance Service has become. I think it would be a very good step for the Fire Service to be able to assist the Ambulance Service. I think Cork County Council have done it and we should follow.”
Brian Beck, the council’s director of emergency services, said Tipperary Fire Service had on occasion gone out to save lives through using a defibrillator. He told councillors this issue was being discussed at national level with the HSE and the national emergency services bodies and he awaited a national direction on it. It was not an issue for Tipperary Fire Service to decide.
Mr Beck stressed that Tipperary Fire Service’s priority was to attend to road accidents, fires and people in danger in water rescue situations.
“If we get a direction nationally we will comply with it but right now we have our role and our job to do and that is what we will focus on doing,” he added.