.
Jimmy Murphy of Tralee Community Responders accepts the new defibrillator from Caroline Sugrue of Cara Credit Union board of management. Also included, standing, from left; Siobhan Donnelly of Cara Credit Union and Carmelia Draghici of Tralee Community Responders. Kneeling is Julie O’Sullivan of Tralee Community Responders and Pa Laide, CEO of Cara Credit Union. Photo by Dermot Crean
MEMBERS of Tralee Community Responders were in attendance on Thursday morning for the presentation of a new defibrillator by Cara Credit Union. Camelia Draghici
It was presented as part of Cara Credit Union’s 50th Anniversary celebrations they have installed the defibrillator outside the door of their Tralee office in Ashe Street.
The new defibrillator is a boost after a disappointing incident where a cabinet holding the defibrillator on The Mall was vandalised in on Saturday night/Sunday morning.
The broken glass has now been replaced and that defibrillator is ready for use should it be needed.
Continued below…
.
Pa Laide, CEO, Cara Credit Union, said; “we are delighted to gift Tralee Community Responders and our Tralee community with a defibrillator as part of our 50th Anniversary celebrations. Not only is Ashe Street a very busy street to have a defibrillator installed for public access but the credit union is a very busy office in the heart of the community.
“The defibrillator is available outside our office 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It can be accessed by phoning the Tralee Community Responders telephone number publicly displayed on the unit. When a call is made, the ambulance service are automatically alerted and will dispatch an ambulance along with a member of the Tralee Community Responders. The important message now is for the community and businesses in the town to know the locations of their nearest defibrillator unit with our Tralee office being one such location,” said Mr Laide.
Jimmy Murphy of Tralee Community Responders thanked Cara Credit Union on behalf of the group
“We are delighted to accept this kind donation from Cara Credit Union. Each unit will save lives. It is fantastic to see Tralee Town centre serviced with a public defibrillator unit. We would like to thank all the team and the members at Cara Credit Union. Without donations like this one, we would be unable to run this service.”
Tralee Community Responders was set up in 2016 and consists of 12 people from Tralee who offer 24 hours service, 7 days a week including CPR training to many individuals and groups.
In the two years since it was set up it has provided 54,000 voluntary hours and attended 458 callouts as well as providing valuable assistance to the National Ambulance Service.
Of the 458 callouts, 289 were to assist chest pain patients, 124 callouts were cases of stroke and 45 instances of cardiac arrest.
