Annaghdown CFR is a Community First Responder group formed in 2021 ( we had attempted start in 2020 but COVID had put pause to that đ )
How the on-call system works:
See also How it works
When âon callâ as a volunteer responder, the responder would have the Annaghdown CFR mobile phone and the kit bag containing the defibrillator. During this time, if somebody in our coverage area calls 999/112 reporting a cardiac arrest, stroke, chest pain or choking an ambulance will be dispatched and simultaneously the Annaghdown CFR mobile phone will be alerted with the nature of the call and address of the incident. As the responder will be within a close radius, almost always we reach the patient a before the emergency ambulance and will have started CPR and attached the defibrillator if appropriate.
Volunteer Responders are only dispatched to specific medical calls such as cardiac arrest chest pain, stroke,or choking. Volunteer responders are not dispatched to any calls involving trauma such as car accidents, or people injured in falls etc.
In Annaghdown CFR our goal will be to operate âbuddy systemâ so that responders work in pairs. Each responder is notified of the incident and they make their own way to the scene and work together to treat the patient. New volunteers are always paired up with experienced volunteers to gain experience during their first few calls.
If youâre interested in volunteering, complete this Google Docs form to send us your details.
If youâd like further information, get in touch with us through the contact page.
A little history
Stephen Griffin ( Annaghdown CFR Co-Ordinator ) completed CFR training through place of work ( as a Workplace CFR ) over 3 years ago. At the time Stephen could not believe that someoneâs life could be âmaintainedâ during a cardiac arrest episode , through CPR. Stephen did some research and discovered that Annaghdown did have a CFR group at one point. There had been a group operating with HSE over 10 years previous as a CFR group. After some time , the group was disbanded . It was rekindled a number of years later but again was disbanded.
Towards the end of 2019 , he contacted NAS Co-Ordinator Mark Callahan ( Western Region ) and Mark gave Stephen a brief overview of CFR group & also the NASCFR Guidance document.
He took the initial steps to setup a Facebook and Instagram page to garner interest in setup of a Group.
He contacted John Harkin (Annaghdown Parish Council) who gave him some history and some guidance on group setup. Stephen subsequently met with APC committee in Feb 2020 . He was elected as a member of Annaghdown Parish Council to create the link between the groups.
Annaghdown CFR ( ACFR ) will operate a sub committee of Annaghdown Parish Council. Annaghdown Parish Council ( APC ) is registered as a Charity. APC has a solid committee structure and is in place for a number of years.
Early Feb 2020 Stephen met with a number of âLegacy ACFRâ members and some new members ( totalling 6 ) who had an interested in getting involved , and also 5 registered interest via Facebook. Stephenâs next step was to gather documentation from members & kick-start training.
Stephen took the initial steps to register ACFR with Garda Vetting. These days , you need to register first with the Garda Vetting Bureau , then work with a local affiliate. He took the Garda Vetting affiliate training with Helen at âVolunteer Galwayâ group and has since submitted registration to enable Vetting withing ACFR.
A public meeting was due to be organised in March 2020 by Stephen/Mark Callahan ( NAS ) but due to COVID restrictions was cancelled.
Stephen subsequently contacted all interested parties and project was put on hold due to COVID. NAS requested âstopâ to all CFR groups nationally around the same time.
NAS have since re-initialised CFR groups through retraining and PPE handling etc – Stephen contacted Mark Callahan and is re-starting the project with gusto! First step was to setup a new website & to kick start interaction with interested parties again.