Plaque in Heritage Centre remembers Fergal Sloan

Siobhan Dunphy, Laura Begley, Eilis Philips, Fiona Sloan Kelly, Ronan Collier and Philip O'Rourke.

A plaque to commemorate the late Fergal Sloan was placed in the Kilcullen Heritage Centre last evening by members of the Kilcullen First Responders, writes Brian Byrne. Fergal passed away in 2022, and the occasion was to mark the responder group's appreciation for the funding of a portable defibrillator, which had been raised in his name at a Carols by Candlelight concert after his death. 

Kilcullen Gospel Choir was one of the contributing performers at the concert, and last evening's presentation was attended by Fergal's wife, Eilis Philips, and his sister, Fiona Sloan Kelly, who are both members of the choir.

"It's the AED that we carry with us on every call, so he's potentially helping on every call we go on to save lives," Ronan Collier of Kilcullen Responders said at the presentation. "We just felt, when we heard it's his birthday tomorrow, that we wanted to make sure he has been remembered the right way."

The plaque features a photo of Fergal on stage in Kilcullen during a Heritage Evening presentation in August 2019. He was a stalwart of Kilcullen Drama Group for decades, appearing in many of their plays.

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Aspirin donation to Kilcullen responders

Berney’s Chemist has supported the Kilcullen Community First Responders with a donation of aspirin, the key medication used by the group when treating patients with chest pain.

The responders group has thanked Berney’s Chemist for the support, noting that aspirin is the only medication they administer in such emergencies, except where patients have an allergy or cannot take it. 

The group said the contribution will help them continue their work supporting the local community in times of urgent need.

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Chance to win family ticket to Kaleidoscope Festival

Kilcullen Community First Responders have launched a fundraiser offering supporters the chance to win a family weekend ticket to the Kaleidoscope Festival.

Tickets cost €5, through donations at this link, or by direct message on the group's Facebook page. All proceeds are going toward emergency equipment for the group’s responders, who work alongside the National Ambulance Service, attending emergencies in the Kilcullen area.

The fundraiser will help support their efforts to keep the local community safe while giving one lucky winner the chance to enjoy a family festival weekend.

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Successful CFR training day for children

Image: Kilcullen First Responders.

Kilcullen Community First Responders hosted a highly successful training day for local children, equipping them with vital lifesaving skills, including CPR.

Children aged eight and upwards took part in the session, which focused on what to do in an emergency and how to respond calmly and effectively. By the end of the training, participants had learned how to:

• Ring the emergency services • Have their Eircode ready to give to the call taker • Check if a person is responding when called or gently shaken • Start CPR if the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally • Use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), including placing the pads correctly and delivering a shock if advised

The organisers said they were delighted to see the children leave with such important skills and the confidence to use them.

Parents who would like their child to take part in the next course are invited to email kilcullenfirstresponders@gmail.com to have their names added to the list.

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April training opens for children in CPR and AED use

Kilcullen Community First Responders have opened registrations for their April CPR and AED training sessions for children aged eight and over, writes Brian Byrne. A previously scheduled course is already fully booked, and organisers say they are looking forward to welcoming the young participants and teaching them vital lifesaving skills. 

The training aims to give children the confidence to act in an emergency, including knowing how to call emergency services, stay as calm as possible, and raise the alarm and shout for help. Parents wishing to book a place for their child are invited to email kilcullenfirstresponders@gmail.com. 

The group encourages families to consider whether their children would know what to do if something happened at home and states that this training can help prepare them for such situations.

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CPR class for children

Kilcullen Community Responders are proposing a day to teach children in the community life-saving skills. The event will be for children aged 8-9 and upwards.

The initiative is in response to interest shown in a flyer posted on the group's Facebook page about basic CPR and how to call for help in an emergency. 

If any family is keen to have their children attend this event, please email kilcullenfirstresponders@gmail.com or message the group on its Facebook page.

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First Responder volunteers wanted in Calverstown

The Kilcullen First Responder Unit is hoping to set up a dedicated Community First Responder group in the Calverstown area. It's an opportunity for people in the locality to learn life-saving skills and give back to their community.

All it takes is giving some time to training and, afterwards, being willing to go on a roster for callouts in an emergency.

Kilcullen CFR is prepared to support the formation of such a group. Anyone interested can email kilcullenfirstresponders@gmail.com, and they will be in touch.

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First Responders seek new members

Kilcullen Community First Responders are looking for volunteers to join their current cohort. The group's volunteers work alongside the National Ambulance Service, responding to emergencies in the local area.

You may have met them already, they may have helped you or those close to you, but now they need your help to keep doing what they're doing.

If this is something you may be interested in, email kilcullenfirstresponders@gmail.com or message on their Facebook page, and they'll get back to you.

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First Responders seek support for new AED

Kilcullen Community First Responders are fundraising for a portable defibrillator to bring to emergencies, writes Brian Byrne. The volunteer group answers emergency calls in the area alongside the National Ambulance Service.

A GoFundMe page has been set up by the group's Ronan Collier, pictured above accepting a cheque from Kildare Credit Union as part of the CU's Community Outreach Programme. 

The target funding is €2,000. At the time of writing a third of that has been donated.

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Community heart saver course planned

A heart saver course is being planned for May by the Kilcullen Community First Responders, writes Brian Byrne. The event will teach CPR technique and how to use a defibrillator.

The course is open to all in the community but places will be limited. Anyone interested should email kilcullenfirstresponders@gmail.com.

The exact date and location for the course will be posted closer to the event.

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First Responders Open Training Night

A reminder that an Open Training Night will be held by Kilcullen Community First Responders tomorrow, Tuesday, 10 December in Scoil Bhride.

Beginning at 7.30pm, all are welcome to learn CPR, how to use an AED, what to do if someone is choking and how to help if someone is having a stroke.

These are all the kind of calls which the Community First Responders attend.

The group are also seeking new members.

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GCS Alarms sponsor jackets for Kilcullen First Responders

Corey Delahunt, trainee EMT with the Calverstown First Responders group currently in formation, with Kilcullen First Responders Vivienne Wynne, Laura Begley, Ronan Collier, Phil O'Rourke, Kelly Maxwell, Eoin MacManus, and Louise Salczynski, and Greg Curran of GCS Alarms.

Smart new jackets have been sponsored for the Kilcullen Community First Responders group by local security company GCS Alarms, writes Brian Byrne. The new hi-viz clothing was handed over last evening during the group's training session in Scoil Bhride.

"With the winter now set in they will help keep our members safe when out on calls in the dark, and also keep us warm," says the Kilcullen group's Laura Begley. "It can get pretty cold out there when responding to an emergency this time of the year."

For Greg Curran of GCS, whose company has 25 years of experience in providing alarms to domestic and commercial customers throughout the Leinster area, helping with the jackets was a 'no-brainer'. "It's a case of our company giving back something to the community," he told the Diary. "All these people are volunteers, and I know about volunteering and raising sponsorship from my association with the Kilcullen Soccer Club, so when I heard the First Responders needed jackets, we didn't hesitate."

In addition to being high-visibility and warm, the new jackets are also very indicative that the wearer is on serious business, helping clear a way through people when coming to help someone who has been taken ill.

In other First Responder news, the defibrillator that was provided for public use outside the Centra store on Hillcrest has now been taken in charge by the Kilcullen First Responders, after having been fully serviced recently. It also has a notation that it is in memory of the late Bernard Berney. The unit was originally funded by a screening in 2019 of a video of The Quare Land performed three years earlier by Kilcullen Drama Group, which was Bernard's last performance as a member of the group. 

And, in an initiative that will add further to the number of the life-saving devices available publicly in the Kilcullen area, one is to be provided for the Kilcullen Town Hall dedicated to the memory of the late Fergal Sloan. Funds for this one were raised by the Kilcullen Gospel Choir.

There are currently up to ten active members of the Kilcullen Community First Responders, and five public access defibrillators as well as those portable units carried by a First Responder on a callout. A new responder group is also in formation for the Calverstown area.

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Heart Saver course open to all

A reminder that Kilcullen First Responders are holding a Heart Saver course in Kilcullen this evening, Tuesday 7 May. It will be held in Scoil Bhride and starts at 7pm.

If you ever wanted to learn how to use a AED then this is the course for you.

Email kilcullenfirstresponders@gmail.com to have your name registered.

Open to all.

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Community First Responders open to more volunteers

Ronan Collier of Kilcullen First Responders with Amanda Ross, Community Engagement Officer with the HSE National Ambulance Service and Kilcullen Responders Louise Salczynski, Eoin McManus, Laura Begley, Vivienne Wynne and Kelly Maxwell.

The need for a continuing stream of volunteers was spelled out last night at the Open Evening organised by Kilcullen Community First Responders, writes Brian Byrne. Those attending were provided with a very informative presentation on the work of responders, and the various ways they can be supported, by Amanda Ross, Community Engagement Officer with the HSE National Ambulance Service.

She told the Diary that there has been a very strong growth in community first responder volunteers since the pandemic. "Nationally we now have 264 groups on the system, and there continues to be new groups coming on board," she said. "I think that Covid showed the need for people in communities to help each other, and this is one way that they can make a real contribution."

A number of high-profile cardiac arrest situations in recent times have also raised the awareness of the benefit of having trained volunteer first responders, who can save lives before the medical responders arrive. "The work that Community First Responder groups have done in arranging for defibrillators to be installed in public places has also raised awareness," Amanda Ross says, adding that cardiac arrests don't just happen to people in their elder years. "There are people in their 30s, 40s and 50s experiencing emergencies. That information is getting out there, and more people are realising that this can happen to anybody, at any time and without warning."

Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer, who attended last night's event, said Kilcullen is lucky to have its own Responder group. "But they need our help, support and volunteers," she said. "Not everyone has to respond to calls — volunteers can be treasurer, secretary, or fundraisers in a group."

Kilcullen Community First Responders were reconstituted three years ago and service an area within five kilometres radius of Kilcullen cross-roads. "So that means we cover as far as Brannockstown and Gormanstown, and on the other side towards Kinneagh and Athgarvan," says Kilcullen volunteer Laura Begley, adding that the group can often be called out a number of times a week.

Anyone interested in joining the group can contact Ronan Collier or Laura Begley by emailing kilcullenfirstresponders@gmail.com.

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First Responders Open Evening

First Responders training session.

A reminder that Kilcullen Community First Responders are holding an Open Evening tomorrow, Thursday 11 April, in Kilcullen Town Hall, writes Brian Byrne.

All are welcome to the event, which kicks off at 8pm.

The Community First Responders recently marked their second anniversary after reactivation following the pandemic. Ronan Collier notes that the group always welcomes new volunteers. 

"We always appreciate the community coming behind us and donating and also coming on board to volunteer," he says. "If you think you can help out send an email to kilcullenfirstresponders@gmail.com."

Laura Begley and Ronan Collier with Dawn Behan, at the presentation of T-shirts from Woodbine Books last December.

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