As part of the ‘Save a Life’ campaign, Cork Airport is offering Cardiac First Responder training (CFR) to all airport staff at a discounted rate of €50 to cover course and certification costs. Emergency First Responders (EFRs) of the Airport Police Fire and Rescue Service have saved numerous victims of sudden cardiac arrest within the airport and surrounds, including most recently a customer of the Cork International Hotel.
EFRs will train staff and other businesses at Cork Airport and a public defibrillator has been located centrally in the terminal next to the check-in desks so that anyone who has been trained to use one can do so effectively.
Warren Delaforce, Cork Airport Fire Officer, said: “The course is a beneficial life skill that can be learned in a four-hour training session and has to be renewed every two years. Since 2002 we have been trained to respond to all kinds of medical emergencies, especially cardiovascular related illnesses.
“Our training is not just confined to the workplace as the skills we learn can be put to good use in our social and domestic environments, as was demonstrated when APF Rob Jenkins saved the life of his opponent who fell victim to sudden cardiac arrest during a tennis match. Also, APF Fergal Sargent found a cyclist collapsed by the roadside having suffered a cardiac arrest and his speedy intervention was key to the man’s full recovery.
“Until recently mortality from ischaemic heart disease in Ireland was high (over 25%) compared with rates in other countries. In particular, when compared with other EU countries, Ireland had the highest rate in men and the third highest rate in women. The reasons behind these figures were speculative but usually based around cultural and demographical issues.
“Measures to reduce these mortality rates have been steadily increasing since the millennium and now defibrillators can be widely found in the community and not just confined to ambulances or hospitals.”
