The Free Training:
Anyone who wants to help their community can become a Community First Responder. No previous medical experience or training is necessary although you will obviously need a caring attitude and be able to cope with potentially distressing situations. Community First Responders are trained in Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the use of Automatic External Defibrillators (AED’s), and Oxygen Therapy. This initial training is provided by qualified instructors from the Ambulance Service and local qualified instructors. It takes place over weekends or evenings. Certificates will be issued after completion of the course.
HeartSaver CPR with AED is an American Heart Association (AHA) course designated for the layperson or non-Health Care provider (i.e. teachers, construction, retail, etc). This is a class meant to give the bystander of a cardiac emergency the skills to recognize and properly perform CPR if needed to save someone’s life. Our HeartSaver class covers CPR for the infant, child and adult patient and how to properly use barrier devices. Also covered are methods of clearing a foreign body airway obstruction in infants and adults alike. Students will have a hands on opportunity to train with an automated external defibrillator (AED), one of the newest and most exciting additions to cardiac care by the AHA. HeartSaver CPR will provide you with video based lessons, instructor input and practice on the manikin before you will be tested for competency on these skills. Our responsibility as instructors at First Responder EMS is to give you the confidence, skills and knowledge to perform high quality CPR in a cardiac arrest emergency,
Community First Responders continue training and are required to re-qualify every 3-6 months.
Anyone who does not whish to become a Community First Responder, but still want to take part in the course is also welcome, and invited to become a member of the programme. Being able to perform CPR and use an AED is a skill that can save lives.
The Idea
The concept of Community Responders originated in America due to the work of Dr Richard Cummins. He discovered that if a series of events took place in a set sequence, a heart attack victim had a greater chance of survival. These events are known as the "Chain of Survival".
The Chain of Survival is:
Early Access, Early Resuscitation, Early Defibrillation, Early Advanced Life Support
When this chain was put into practice in America by increasing public awareness, training people in basic life support and placing defibrillators in the community, it improved the pre-hospital survival rate to between 25% and 30%. There is also evidence to suggest that in cases of cardiac arrest, for every minute that goes by without defibrillation a patient's chances of survival decrease by 10%. By developing groups of Community Responders who are trained to provide the first three events in this chain, there should be a significant improvement in the survival rates in cases of cardiac arrest.
Since the development of the Community Responder Programme throughout Ireland, the volunteers can now provide a vital support to their communities in many different situations. They are able to provide emergency medical care for a wide range of incidents as well as providing support and reassurance to patients and their families following a medical erergency.