Ratoath CFR

A community first responder team in operation for many years providing excellent first responder service to the local community in support of the National Ambulance Service along with a  public access defib programme. New members always welcome.

Who are Ratoath Cardiac First Responders?

We are volunteers, living in the Ratoath community, who provide a community first responder service for the village and surrounds of Ratoath. We are trained in basic life support techniques, CPR and defibrillator use, along with management of chest pain, stroke and choking. We are tasked by the National Ambulance Service to respond to 999 or 112 calls in the local community, providing urgent assistance to people with stroke, chest pain, choking or cardiac arrest, until the arrival of the ambulance service. In additon we manage 3 Public Access Defibrillators across Ratoath: Centra, Spar and outside the Scout Den. The code to access these defibrillators is accessed by dialling 999 and advising where you are and requesting the code

What training do we have?

All Responders have successfully completed a PHECC (Pre Hospital Emergency Care Council), IHF (Irish Heart Foundation) and AHA (American Heart Association) approved Community First Responder course. The course covers the “Chain of Survival”, what to do in the event of a Cardiac Arrest (Adult, Child & Infant CPR), how to use an AED (Defibrillator),  Chest Pain Management (suspected Heart Attack), Aspirin Therapy, Stroke recognition using F.A.S.T., and Choking. All training will be provided by the Rataoth CFR group to new volunteers.

What type of calls do we get?

We are called to people (all ages) with:

• Chest pain
• Stroke
• Cardiac arrest
• Choking

How do we get called?

If 999 or 112 is called and person has chest pain, stroke, cardiac arrest or choking, the ambulance service dispatch Ratoath CFR at the same time as they dispatch the ambulance service.

What does a Community First Responder do?
 We are trained to provide early intervention in situations such as chest pain, cardiac arrest, choking or stroke before the National Ambulance Service crew arrives. If required we may continue to assist the Ambulance Service once they arrive.

Interested in Volunteering?

• Do I need to have a healthcare background? No, all members of Ratoath Cardiac First Responders will be fully trained by accredited instructors to PHECC/IHF/AHA standards. Some responders have a healthcare background, but as many do not.
• How long does the training take? There are a range of online courses including infection control, child protection, use of PPE and Critical Incident Stress Management, along with attendance at monthly meetings prior to formal training and certification.  Formal training and certification takes place over  one day at designated times during the year and all volunteers must complete this irrespective of any prior qualifications.
• What requirements are there? Must:
  • Be over 18.
  • Have a valid driver’s licence.
  • Be willing to complete the pre training online programmes and attend monthly training prior to the required formal training programme (scheduled at weekends)
  • Commit to ongoing attendance at meetings/training (monthly)
  • Undergo and pass garda vetting process.

Is this for me? If you are the type of person who stays calm in an emergency, has good people skills and are interested in supporting your community this may very much suit you. We ask people to come down to our meetings/training and get to know the rest of the volunteer team and get a sense as to whether this is something you would be interested in doing before committing to the formal training/certification programme. You will build your skills and knowledge over the monthly meetings to position you for the final certification. If you are not sure, just reach out and we can chat it through in more detail, We would love to hear from you.

How to contact us?

• Contact the Scheme Coordinator at cfrratoath@gmail.com
• Contact us via our facebook page by direct message