New life-saving defibrillator installed at local fire station

A NEW defibrillator was unveiled in Tallaght Fire Station on Monday afternoon, with the piece of life-saving equipment being a welcome addition to the community.

In attendance on the day were Mayor Alan Edge, and Cllr Kenneth Egan and his father Paul, whose life was saved by paramedics from Dublin Fire Brigade when he suffered a cardiac event in 2018.

Representatives from the Ciaran Carr Foundation also took part in the unveiling, as did local community responders and senior management from Dublin Fire Brigade.

Dave Adams, the station officer of Tallaght Fire Station and a Lucan resident, told The Echo: “We have two fire tenders, an ambulance and staff with the dual role of firefighter and paramedic all stationed here.

“Even if we’re not here, if you ring 999 or 112 you’ll get through to them and they’ll tell you how to use the defibrillator.

Fire brigade staff with local councillors

“Helping people within the area is at the core of what we do, and now we can help even more people in the community by helping them to help themselves.”

He added that, while Tallaght Fire Station is full of life-saving paramedics, now the defibrillator on the exterior of the building means the building itself is playing a role in saving lives.

The installation of the defibrillator is part of a Dublin Fire Brigade-wide scheme, which will now see all fire stations in the county being equipped with publicly accessible defibrillators.

The installation of the defibrillators was prompted by an incident which happened outside Finglas Fire Station in January of this year.

Pauline Ryan suffered a cardiac arrest in Finglas village while she was a passenger in a car being driven by her sister, who had the presence of mind to pull into the fire station.

Mayor Alan Edge and Acting District Officer John O’Flaherty in Tallaght Fire Station on Monday

At the time, the fire appliance, ambulance and all their medical equipment were out at another call which was, coincidentally, another cardiac arrest.

Fortunately, the district officer and a firefighter/paramedic were in the station and were able to perform life-saving CPR on Pauline until the arrival of colleagues from Phibsborough Fire Station, who were able to successfully defibrillate and resuscitate Pauline.

Mr Adams said the defibrillator is a key life-saving device, and compared having it to going into water and ensuring there’s a lifebuoy, and added that it should offer some reassurance to the community.

“Having an AED could be the difference between surviving and not surviving,” he said.

“Early intervention with an AED increases the likelihood of someone getting through a cardiac event.”

When asked if he’s noticed a need for an increase in defibrillators in the area during the course of his work, Mr Adams said: “The number of them is increasing in the area, but there’s always a need for more.”