 There are more than 270 Community First Responder (CFR) groups around Ireland and in March 2020, CFR teams were temporarily stood down because of the Covid 19 public health emergency. During June the Donegal Bay CFR team was been formally reactivated following a period of recertification and infection control training. Donegal Bay Community First Responder group was established in 2017 to provide a volunteer community rapid response to actual or potentially life-threatening emergencies in Ballyshannon, Bundoran & surrounding areas. The group went 'live' with the National Ambulance service in May 2018, meaning that it is linked to the National Ambulance Service's National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC). The team are activated following a 999 / 112 call from members of the public. Community First Responders engage in regular training, which has included joint training scenarios with other organisations. All CFRs must complete the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council’s (PHECC) Community First Responder training. In addition, volunteers undergo training in Critical Incident Stress Management and infection control. Community First Responders are all volunteers and are not a replacement for the National Ambulance Service, rather their primary role is to help stabilise the patient and provide the appropriate care including defibrillation, until a more highly skilled ambulance crew arrives on scene to take over the treatment. In a cardiac arrest situation where the patient’s heart has stopped pumping blood around the body the following sequence of events is known as the “Chain of Survival” is key:
The deployment of CFR volunteers to life threatening medical emergencies is therefore to supplement the overall response in line with the ‘chain of survival’. Ireland has one of the best rates of 'bystander CPR' in the world, with 84% of those suffering non-hospital cardiac arrests in 2019 being assisted by people close-by. Of 2,564 such incidents that year, 68% occurred in the home, with twice as many men as women suddenly taking ill. During 2019 and up to March 2020, the Donegal Bay CFR team were tasked to 53 incidents in the Ballyshannon, Bundoran, Kinlough and surrounding areas. Examples of these calls included people in cardiac arrest—unconscious and not breathing; people with chest pain; choking incidents; people who were having difficulty breathing and people who were potentially suffering from a stroke. However, since reactivation, and as a need to minimise the spread of Covid 19, Donegal Bay CFRs will be responding to cardiac arrest incidents only for the foreseeable future. Community Engagement Officer with the National Ambulance Service, Mark Callanan, says after the initial contact, callers are instructed on how to deliver CPR chest compressions. He said that starting chest compressions on a patient in need of them is key to their chance of survival. The process should take place with the person on a flat, firm surface. He summed up the approach as "push hard, push fast and make sure you contact the emergency services on 112 or 999". Donegal Bay CFR group also operate several public access Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) in the Ballyshannon & Bundoran areas. These are located at Centra Ballyshannon, The Abbey Centre and the Mall Park. It is hoped to place another public access AED in Bundoran in the very near future. These are in addition to twenty-eight further AEDs in the area operated by a variety of business, community organisations, schools, and sports clubs. Donegal Bay CFR Chairperson, Niall Clancy said “It is brilliant to see groups and companies listing their defibrillators available to the public. Nobody would think of locking away a fire extinguisher or a life ring, defibrillators should be seen in the same light”. The local community are encouraged to make themselves aware of the location of AEDs their communities, and to ensure they are always ready for use. Donegal Bay Community First Responders are entirely voluntary and depend on fundraising activities to support the maintenance of their kit bags, consumables, and AEDs. The group would like to take this opportunity to thank the many businesses, individuals and members of the public who have supported their efforts thus far. ENDS
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