A COMMUNITY First Responders meeting is scheduled to take place in Ramelton tomorrow, the first in the area in more than five years.
Set to take place in the local community centre at 8pm, the meeting was organised by local man, and retired army medic, Paul Stevenson.
Speaking to the Donegal News ahead of the meeting, Paul highlighted the vital role First Responders’ play in bridging the gap between an emergency call and the arrival of an ambulance.
“Realistically, if somebody was in cardiac arrest, the First Responder would arrive with a defibrillator while the patient is waiting for the ambulance to come,” he said.
“Those minutes while you are waiting for an ambulance to come are vital because if you are not doing CPR within the first four minutes, the brain will start to die.”
Thanks to Paul and multiple fundraising efforts in the area, Ramelton currently has 11 defibrillators dotted around the heritage town.
Paul said he is hoping for a strong turnout at tomorrow night’s meeting and encouraged members of the local community to attend.
He said the aim is to encourage people to sign up and be willing to respond to calls, as this could significantly improve a person’s chances of survival in the event of a medical emergency in the area.
John McShane, who is the County Co-Ordinator of the National Ambulance Service, will be one of the key speakers at tonight’s meeting.
