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A 12-year-old boy from Killarney has won a defibrillator from the emergency medical response charity CRITICAL, which he has donated to the local community.

Evan Mulhern, has won an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in the charity’s CPR awareness competition at last year’s National Ploughing championships.

The 12-year-old has decided to place the AED in The Reeks Gateway, which is near the shopping centre with a number of apartments nearby.

CRITICAL, whose mission is to save lives through a network of volunteer emergency medical responders, had a stand at the National Ploughing Championships last year where volunteers spoke to people with concerns around farm safety or mental health.

The defibrillator for a community competition aimed to raise awareness about the importance of AEDs in saving lives during emergencies like sudden cardiac arrest.

Evan said: “We had a first aid class in school a few weeks before the Ploughing Championships. I was interested in it and stopped at the CRITICAL stand when I saw the CPR demonstrations and wanted to try it out for myself. CPR and AEDs are very important in the community because they save lives.”

Having access to an AED enables the community to be better equipped to help save lives and promote a safer environment in the community.

CRITICAL CEO David Tighe said: “We are thrilled to see young individuals like Evan taking an active interest in emergency readiness and safety. Evan serves as an inspiration to others, demonstrating the importance of awareness and preparedness in emergency situations. CRITICAL is proud to support his efforts and we encourage the community to follow his lead in promoting safety and well-being.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Hayes First Aid for the generous donation of the Automated External Defibrillator. We value their partnership and look forward to continuing our work together. “

Last year, CRITICAL reported a 45% increase in the number of calls made to them. The charity is now operational in 25 counties and responded to 1,308 taskings, where a volunteer responded to an emergency 999 call which included chest pain, stroke, cardiac and respiratory arrest, falls and road traffic collisions.