22 October 2023
By Mary Bemingham
mary@TheCork.ie
Kinsale Community First Responders is the latest winner of the Cork International Hotel Community Spirit Award.
The volunteer organisation responds to life-threatening emergencies including cardiac arrest, chest pain, stroke and minor traumatic calls in Kinsale and neighbouring areas. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year and provides essential first aid until the emergency services arrive at the scene.
The group was set up in 2017 and now has 11 volunteers who are tasked by the National Ambulance Service to carry out a range of calls. The area they cover has a population of over 5,000 which increases in the busy summer months.
Kinsale Community First Responders provides and maintains a network of emergency defibrillator devices throughout the town and district. It also regularly runs lifesaving classes for local community groups.
Kinsale & District Community First Responders: Community Spirit Award Winners for July 2023, sponsored by the Cork International Hotel, in association with The Carrigdhoun Newspaper & Gerald McCarthy Gifts & Awards.
Pictured are Eoghan Murphy: General Manager, Cork International Hotel, presenting the Award to Colette Forde, alongside Gerry O’Dwyer: Chairperson, CUH Charity & Vincent O’Donovan: Director, Carrigdhoun Newspaper, with First Responders: Owen Hackett; Joanna Daly (Paramedic, National Ambulance) & Andrew O’Connell. Photo Siobhán Russell
Community First Responders are dispatched simultaneously with the National Ambulance Service to Status One 999 emergency calls within a 5km radius of their communities. The on-call volunteers either live or work in the area and can respond within minutes.
General Manager of the Cork International Hotel, Eoghan Murphy said; “The Community Spirit Awards recognise the dedication and commitment of volunteers who go above and beyond to improve the lives of those living in their local area. The work carried out by the Kinsale Community First Responders is an example of how people are giving of their time to help others in a time when they are most in need. We know that every minute counts when a person suffers a cardiac arrest and first responders are a vital part of the chain of survival. It’s comforting and reassuring for the community to know that they have easy access to immediate care and treatment when needed.”
The Cork International Hotel Community Spirit Awards are sponsored by The Carrigdhoun Newspaper and Gerald McCarthy Giftware.
The judging panel for the Community Spirit Awards are made up of a mixture of representatives from the public and private sector within the community.
The judging panel for this award was:
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Carmel Lonergan, Group Director of Operations, Trigon Hotels
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Nicola Radley, Senior Executive Officer, Municipal District Operations & Rural Development at Cork County Council
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Vincent O’Donovan, Publisher of The Carrigdhoun Newspaper
Nominations are now open for next month’s awards at: https://www.