Naas Residents Groups Invited To Apply For Public Access Defibrillators In Their Estates

Naas CFR is gifting a small number of defibrillators to local housing estates.

The Naas Community First Responders are opening applications for their AED Guardian Scheme to residential estates in Naas, Sallins and Johnstown.

They're gifting a small number of public access defibrillators to local housing estates.

Naas CFR is a registered charity manned by locals living in the area dispatched by national ambulance service to 999/112 calls for choking, chest pain, stroke & cardiac arrest.

Speaking on Kildare Today, Naas CFR chairperson and group co-ordinator Martina Bonner Mullaney explains the importance of quick responses to choking or cardiac arrest situations:

"It's about getting the medical attention there, but also starting the CPR and getting access to a defibrillator or AED, is vital for a person's chance of survival, and that's where our AED Guardian programme comes in.

"We have loads of AEDs in Naas in particular, they're all around the place, but when we look at the statistics, 68 per cent of all cardiac arrests happen at home, so that's quite far away from out public access defibrillators."

Naas CFR have modelled their idea off Wicklow, whereby funds are used to provide AEDs around the county.

She added that costs are often an issue when it comes to purchasing them, with costs of €1,000 to be expected when buying the life-saving device.

"We're willing to give these to the estates, but we want the partnership to know that they will be taken care of, with a commitment to look after them, the last thing we want is that, heaven forbid, when an emergency happens, somebody goes to use and the battery has died.

"It's like your insurance, you'd hope that you'd never need it, but you'd like to know that it's there if you do need it."

Martina expressed positive figures in Ireland when it comes to "bystander CPR", which refers to those who perform hands-only chest compressions when someone suddenly collapses, praising the fact that we are considerably higher than the EU average.

"Every minute that passes, with someone who is unresponsive or not breathing, their survival rate drops by 10 per cent."

A rising survival rate from cardiac arrests was also commended, jumping from 8.3 per cent last year to 9.7 per cent this year, above the EU average of 8 per cent.

"That's 266 people who have gone home to their families, you're giving them another shot at life, every single life saved really matters."

Resident groups can apply via email to naascfr@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page for more information.

The full interview can be heard below: