Volunteers changing our society: ‘To be willing to help a neighbour is what it’s all about’
There are about 4,000 of them and they’re discretely saving Irish lives. They are volunteers with the National Network of Community First Responders, known simply as “first responders,” and they deliver citizen CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) as you wait for an ambulance.
“We’re dispatched for cardiac-related incidences and strokes, where someone is not breathing and has no pulse,” said John Fitzgerald, co-chair of the National Network of Community First Responders (CFR).
“The first thing that happens is you ring NEOC (National Emergency Operations Centre, otherwise known as 999 or 112). They’ll ask you where you are, your address, that’s why knowing your Eircode is so important.
“If the person is not breathing and there is no pulse an ambulance will be dispatched and the CFR will be alerted,” he explained.
CFR started out in 2004, with more than a dozen community groups trained up around the country. In 2014 they took on a medical director, Dr David Menzies, a consultant in emergency medicine and held a national conference. There are now 203 groups, comprising of 4,000 volunteers nationwide who are trained up in CPR. CFR is tied in with the emergency services, so when someone rings 999 and the incident involves someone who is not breathing and does not have a pulse, an ambulance is dispatched and a local CFR group is alerted.
What will happen is each group has a control [mobile] phone and it will receive a text message from the computer-aided dispatch (of NEOC). They will see the message and get their kit and AED and alert their buddy and go to the scene. You could have two or three weeks without a call and then you can have three in a 24-hour period. We have a roster system.
To become a CFR training and lots of practice is required. “To join there is a training course of 4.5 hours. But after that you have to practise a lot before being dispatched. You’re trained for a number of months. We also have a buddy system, a new member will go out with a more experienced one,” John said.
While there are 203 groups nationwide there are still one or two counties without any groups and some with just one. CFR has volunteers from all areas of Irish life and of different ages.
“We’ve a huge history in this country of helping our neighbours. It empowers you. We get people from all walks of life. We have teachers, men, women, nurses, doctors, taxi drivers. We even have two undertakers.
“I have met the most wonderful friends that I didn’t know before. A whole new world has opened up to me. If you ever doubted the good in people. People will get up from their Christmas dinner to help a neighbour, and to be willing to help a neighbour is what it’s all about,” said John.
Find out more about CFR here
