A NEW COMMUNITY first responder group has been established in Balbriggan to respond to life-threatening emergencies in the area. 

The group, consisting of 16 volunteers in the north county Dublin town, is now set up to respond to serious emergencies including cardiac arrests, chest pain, strokes, and choking incidents. 

It has been established by emergency medical response charity CRITICAL, which now has more than 300 volunteer responders active in 21 counties. The volunteers have responded to 1,231 incidents since the beginning of the year.

The Balbriggan group is tasked by Dublin Fire Brigade, who handle dispatch calls in the area, to respond to 999/112 calls in their local area. The team are active and fully-trained responders. They came from a range of backgrounds, including healthcare, education, business, trades, and retirees.

The fire brigade will also dispatch its local fire appliance crewed with paramedics or advanced paramedics to any of the emergency calls.

The CEO of the charity behind the initiative, David Tighe, said the team will respond to life-threatening situations in the town, which has a population of close to 25,000.

“Our responders are having a significant impact in cities, towns, villages and rural areas across the country, working closely with the National Ambulance Service to respond to emergencies in their local communities.”

One of the volunteers, Walter, said the idea for the group came following the realisation that there were “very few” publicly accessible defibrillators in the area. 

“This highlighted a potential gap in the chain of survival.”

A local town hall meeting was held and with the support of CRITICAL, the community first respond group was established.

“The group has been training consistently since January and although everyone has diverse backgrounds, each member is driven by the same purpose to help others in moments of crisis,” he added.

“All volunteers have been trained to CFR-C standard through a programme delivered through CRITICAL, in line with National Ambulance Service (NAS) requirements,” a statement from the charity said.

“The training includes scenario-based sessions, designed to prepare responders for real-life emergencies and ensure they are ready to act when every second counts.”

The charity’s network of volunteers includes doctors in six counties, CFR groups, off-duty paramedics, EMTs, and advanced paramedics. 

It relies on fundraising and public donations to expand and grow its services.