Hacketstown becomes the latest area to have Community First Responders group

The Hacketstown area of Carlow will now have 24-hour emergency response cover.

The local Community First Responders group is getting ready to respond to 999 calls from 8 o’clock this evening.

It’s co-ordinated through the National Ambulance Service and they’ll be tasked to respond to cardiac, respiratory or stroke-related emergencies.

Speaking to KCLR News, Helen Kavanagh from the Hacketstown group says their 10 volunteers have had a lot of training over the past year.

There are currently two other CFR teams locally – the Bagenalstown CFR’s and Johnstown/Crosspatrick/Galmoy CFR group.