Calls for group to oversee Athlone defibrillators
There are renewed calls for a defibrillator group to be established in Athlone, after it emerged that there is no group to oversee the maintenance of public access defibrillators in the town.
Defibrillators must be stored at a specific temperature and require regular checks to ensure their batteries and pads are in working order; however, there is currently no one officially responsible for monitoring these or raising funds to contribute to their upkeep.
Darren Mulledy, a member of the Ballymahon Defibrillator Group, says the establishment of a defibrillator group in Athlone is well overdue.
“We had a meeting three years ago, and recently put out another call in the summer, but there has been no uptake. There are a number of public access defibrillators in Athlone but they're forgotten about, whereas in Ballymahon we know there are 10 which are checked and are all perfect,” says Darren.
“They need testing once a month to see if they are working, and to check if they have been used or tampered with.”
On top of having working batteries and pads, defibrillators must be stored in specific conditions, such as a heated cabinet for those located outdoors to protect them from frost damage.
In addition, Darren says, an Athlone paramedic who regularly responds to emergency calls while off-duty is being left out of pocket due to the expense of replacing used defibrillator pads.
“There is an advanced paramedic in Athlone who, when he is free, will respond to life-threatening calls, giving patients every chance to survive. Without a defibrillator there would often be no chance of survival.
“Every time the pads are used they have to be replaced at a cost of more than €60. It is not fair to ask him to put his hand in his pocket every time. And it is even more unfair if he responds to a call and there are no pads,” says Darren.
Defibrillator batteries also have to be replaced regularly (at five to seven-year intervals) at a cost of up to €400.
“What we need in Athlone is a group to get together to see how many public access defibrillators there are in and around the town, who is responsible for the upkeep, and to raise funds to replace the pads and batteries.
“We can't leave lifesaving equipment out in public if it is not working.”
If anyone is interested in becoming involved with a defibrillator group for Athlone, please call Darren Mulledy on 086 1704394, or contact Gerard Tiernan via Facebook.