Cork Independent
Thursday 6 December 2012
Ptere Horgan
Blarney Street leads the way
A new scheme to ease the pressure on emergency services and increase response times for those experiencing cardiac issues was launched this week on the city’s northside.
The Blarney street and surround areas community association launched the cardiac first responder scheme, the first in the city, in an effort to alert the community on the importance of time in emergency events.
A mostly rural scheme before now, it is hoped that more community associations will take on the mantle of first response, as more and more emergency services are stretched. The schemes comprises of members of the public who volunteer to assist and take emergency calls in the area.
First responders attend to incidents within an agreed radius of where they live or work to provide basic first aid while an ambulance is en-route.
“A lot of things had to be done, recruitment and training of responders, and money to get it up and running,” said Pat Carroll, one of the founders of the scheme in Blarney Street and surrounding areas.
“There is a lot of interest in it. Last week we trained six more people to responder level which means we now have the required amount to start the scheme properly We had an occasion where one of our responders had fallen and within four minutes of the call being taken I was on site. It just shows that time is of the essence particularly in cases of cardiac arrest.”
Superintendent Con Cadogan confirmed that patrol cars are being fitted with the emergency numbers in case of incidents occurring. Gurranbraher Credit Union is sponsoring the scheme which includes all the equipment and gear that responders need to carry out the work.
“It was a novel idea at the start but it’s an additional service that was needed and warranted in the northside,” said Tom Coleman, chairperson of the community association.
“There was a void in the area. Once we got our money we were able to plan seriously and see the plan go to fruition. The magic number is 20 people and we should make that soon”.
Community link
The scheme was officially launched by Minster of State Kathleen Lynch who praised the work of the association and expressed a hope that it would lead to a ripple effect across the northside.
“This is the link that is needed to reassure people who need reassuring,” said Ms Lynch.
“It is also good to see that the responders are getting the proper training to recognise cardiac situation in both men and women, as women present differently in case of heart attacks.”
Mr Coleman also confirmed that the Rock community Centre, which services the community in Blarney Street and surrounding areas, had received €8,000 in the national lottery grants.
“We’ve done a lot of refurbishment in the area because we have no amenities for kids to play in here,” said Mr Coleman.
“This cost a lot of money. We got contributions from City Council and Gurranbraher Credit Union and they have been very encouraging. This new grant allows us to continue our work.”