11. Community First Responders

Question 1

how many people die of cardiac arrest in Ireland

Answer 1

• 5000 people a year
• 13 people a day

Question 2

why are CFR schemes important

Answer 2

after suffering cardiac arrest every minute that passes the chances of recovery are reduced by 7%-10%

effective CPR and defibrillator use within the first few minutes of cardiac arrest can produce survival rates as high as 49% to 75%

Question 3

who are community first responders

Answer 3

• volunteers
• trained to attend emergency calls in the area they live/work
• aim to reach potential life-threatening emergency in first vital minutes before the amubulance

Question 4

what type of emergencies are CFRs dispatched to

Answer 4

chest pain
breathing difficulty
choking
stroke
cardiac related calls

Question 5

when was the community first responders scheme first activated

Answer 5

2005

Question 6

what is the number of CFR groups nationwide

Answer 6

135 and growing

Question 7

number of registered CFRs

Answer 7

2053 and increasing

Question 8

chain of survival

Answer 8

a series of actions that when put into motion reduce the mortality associated with cardiac arrest

Question 9

chain of survival for of survival cardiac arrest

Answer 9

1. early intervention
2. early access
3. early CPR
4. early defibrillation
5. ACLS
6. Post resus care

Question 10

secondary functions of CFR groups

Answer 10

• community awareness campaigns and public training
• placement and maintenance of public access defibrillators
• support their National Ambulance Service

Question 11

the future of CFR schemes

Answer 11

• new CFR groups always going live
• continue to support ambulance service
• in 2024, ambulance extended the CFR scope to include FAR calls

Question 12

what is FAR

Answer 12

first aid response