Community Responding to Castleisland First Responders

Members of the Castleisland First Responders, Andrew Kelly, Mairéad O’Connell and Oorla Casey pictured with Castleisland Aldi branch deputy manager, Paudie Horan after the responders received a €500 cheque from the company. ©Photograph: John Reidy
Cllr. Charlie Farrelly presenting a defibrillator to Castleisland First Responder team member, Mairéad O’Connell with her fellow responders, John Broderick (left) and Andrew Foran at the wall mounted unit at the Market House in November. ©Photograph: John Reidy 23-11-2020

In spite of being stood down from active service in the community with the onset of Covid-19 early last year, Castleisland First Responders members have been keeping their skills up to date in the meantime.

Each member has updated their knowledge with a course and an exam held at the Ivy Leaf Art Centre by the National Ambulance Service.

The course centred on the donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE) gear in these times of strangeness and uncertainty.

Back on the Rota

Team spokesperson, Oorla Casey said that a small number of members have gone back on the rota for the moment.

Castleisland First Responders members have enjoyed the support of the community its rank is drawn from.

The Castleisland Races Committee has been to the fore in this regard with contributions from its drive-in-bingo sessions.

Wall Mounted Defibrillators

This enabled the responders to fix wall mounted defibrillators to the old library / Carnegie building and at the other end of town to the Market House wall.

Then, only last week, they discovered that the local Aldi store had included them in their Ireland Community Grants Programme 2020.

“A staff member nominated our group for this award of €500 and we’re delighted that people and local groups think of us like that.

Town’s Most Prominent Buildings

With the help of these donations, Castleisland is now equipped with three publicly placed defibrillators.

There’s one on the town’s most prominent buildings at each end of the town and there’s one in the middle on the wall of Jackie Reidy’s Menswear and Newsagents.

There are also units in most of the local schools, sports clubs and community centres in this and neighbouring parishes with a count of almost 20 units in all throughout these areas.

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