News
New Community First Responder service for Glenbeigh
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By Sean Moriarty
Glenbeigh Community First Responders, a new service linked to the National Ambulance Service, will launch on April 1.
The service will be run by local volunteers who have been trained to NAS standard, with an objective to reach any incident in a defined area within 10 minutes.
The service will cover Glenbeigh parish from Ballintleave in the east to just before Gleensk Viaduct in the west, and also encompassing Dooks Golf Course and Rossbeigh Beach.
Volunteers are trained to respond to cardiac arrest, heart attack and choking incidents.
“Because of where we are, we are very isolated and we are 40 to 50 minutes away from Tralee or Cahersiveen where the ambulances are based,” secretary David Pitt said. “We are linked to the ambulance service. You cannot contact us direct. If someone calls 999 and if it’s the type of incident we cover and it is in our area, the ambulance service will get us to respond.”
Eventually Glenbeigh Community First Responders will operate 24/7 but the initial coverage will depend on the number of available volunteers.