Donegal Sports Partnership will hold a CPR/defibrillator awareness session on Tuesday, July 13th, from 7 pm to 8.30 pm.
The workshop will be delivered online by Aiden Thompson from Donegal Safety Training Solutions.
It will focus on the following areas – How and when to make an emergency call; Introduction to Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) when and why do we do it; Introduction to defibrillators and their safe use; Review of storage and access to defibrillators in your club/community; Signs and symptoms of a heart attack and stroke; What can you do while you wait for the emergency services to arrive.
Aiden Thompson is a state-registered paramedic and a former Search and Rescue winchman with the Irish Coastguard Rescue Helicopter R118.
It’s because of his lived experience on the front line of the emergency services, and excellent standard of tuition, that Aiden was selected as the Irish Heart Foundation’s sole representative for their “Hands For Life ” national programme in Donegal.
Aiden’s ethos is simple: keep yourself safe first, if in any doubt call for the appropriate help and use every resource available in an emergency.
Looking ahead to the online session, Maggie Farrelly, Education and Training Coordinator with Donegal Sports Partnership, said: “It’s vital that the defibs in sports organisations, whether it’s indoors or outdoors, are always accessible, that the batteries are always fully charged and that those in charge of the defib are trained up on how to use it.
“Regardless if it’s a training session, a competitive game or an event, a defibrillator must be on site in working order.”
This session is open to everyone – coaches, mentors, officials and whoever organises any sporting activities. We intend to hold a practical certified course later in the year,” she added.
The importance of CPR and defibrillation was highlighted moments after Danish midfielder, Christian Eriksen, collapsed at the end of Euro 2020 championship soccer game against Finland last month. The key to bringing the 29-year-old back to life was a combination of an electric shock from a heart defibrillator and CPR. He was discharged from hospital after a successful operation and is continuing his recovery at home.
The increasing awareness about sudden cardiac arrests has led to a rise in the number of defibrillators around the country.
The Irish Heart Foundation is urging the public to learn how to do CPR. Someone who has learned CPR is ten times more likely to respond in an emergency, while CPR makes someone undergoing a cardiac arrest up to three times more likely to survive.
The online event will be delivered via Zoom at a cost of €5 per person.
To register, follow the link: https://defibrillatorworkshop.eventbrite.co.uk
