Local businesses raise €2,000 to install defibrillator
By Maurice Garvey
A DEFIBRILLATOR has been installed in a Ballyfermot shop – courtesy of a fundraising drive by local businesses who believe the device will ultimately save a life.
The AED (automated external defibrillator) is mounted at Gerry Ryan’s Centra store on Ballyfermot Road.
Businesses in Grange Cross banded together to fund €2,000 for a ‘dummy proof’ defibrillator and first responder training - in response to previous cases where residents have collapsed on the footpath.
One tragic incident two years ago saw an elderly woman pass away after a fatal cardiac attack outside a Grange Cross shop.
The initiative for the AED was kickstarted three months ago by two local St John’s Ambulance members Padraig Allen and Mick Cardiff.
Allen (28), a member of St John’s Ambulance since he was 10-years-old, visited businesses in the area after “witnessing lives been lost on Main Road with nobody knowing what to do.”
“The plan was to fundraise for an AED and place it in the heart of the community,” he said.
The response from businesses was positive, and up to 20 businesses took part in cardiac first responder training.
Allen continued: “Training is designed to provide the ability to recognise several life-threatening emergencies, provide CPR, use an AED, and relieve choking in a safe, timely and effective manner.
“First responders play a vital role in keeping a person alive until they can receive expert clinical care.”
Mick Cardiff said the AED is accessible in the Centra store during opening hours, from 7am to 10pm.
“We would love to have something like this accessible 24 hours but not just yet – it’s accessible to the public covering early morning workers, school and shopping traffic.”
Due to the success of the initiative, Allen hopes to implement another first responder training and AED programme in the commercial area of lower Ballyfermot.
