Rush Community First Responders have been putting the UNITY into CommUNITY in recent months. In late February they held a joint training session on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)with our neighbours in Lusk for the fledgling Community Responders Group. The training was delivered by Aidan Langley an Instructor for Rush Responders and Donal Behan an Instructor for Swords Responders. Rush Community First Responders is a group made up entirely of volunteers who work hard to not only respond to Cardiac Emergencies ahead of the ambulance arriving but also to provide free training to community groups on life saving techniques including how to use a defibrillator.

Community First Responder initiatives are set up under the HSE First Responder Scheme. They have recently provided training to Rush 38th Scouts Group, the staff of St Catherine’s National School as well as hosting a St Patrick’s Weekend public training event.

Jock Jordan-coordinator said “Due to the ability of our trained Rush Community First Responders to respond to Cardiac emergencies quickly, we can provide vital assistance and assurance to patients before an ambulance even arrives. It is no exaggeration to say that our Volunteers can make the difference between life and death. We are always looking for new volunteers and are constantly fundraising”.
In 2023 Rush Community First Responders responded to as many as 50 Cardiac Arrest, Heart Attack, Chest Pain and Stroke incidents, that’s almost one a week.

Volunteers dedicated over 2225 volunteer minutes to those lifesaving calls alone.