The people of Corlough in West Cavan are on a mission, and it's to save lives. Potential delays in ambulances reaching remote parts of the county prompted Corlough Community First Responders to be set up. Founding member Agnes McManus Dulake said the idea came about from a similar scheme in a nearby parish. The group are set to train locals to deal with emergency situations, providing assistance until an ambulance with trained paramedics on board arrive.
Agnes says there was a great response from locals in Corlough who were keen to get involved. The Cavan based nurse says with so many of them living and working in the area, they will in turn be poised to save lives. "I live in Corlough but my husband and I both work in Cavan so when we're not there it would be great to have local people there that would be able to help and be a calming influence," explained Agnes.
Meanwhile Cavan native, Liam Stewart from the National Ambulance Service outlines the training involved in becoming a responder in a local group. Liam said; "Initial training is roughly a six hour training course, which includes a CPR course for adults, infants and children using a defibrillator, first aid for choking, how to assist someone with chest pain, how to recognise a stroke and how to assist paramedics when they get to the scene amongst many other things."
