Carlow’s fire service is well ahead of other counties in Ireland when it comes to first response training.
So says their Fire Chief, Alan O’Neill who was speaking as the debate about firemen and women being called to cases of cardiac trouble once again comes to the fore.
It follows an incident in a graveyard in Carlow on Sunday when a man became ill and the nearest ambulance was 35 minutes away.
The local fire service were then called by those with the man, after they’d heard a discussion on KCLR last Friday about response times, and they were there within 10 minutes.
Speaking to KCLR, Chief O’Neill says that if they were officially made first responders in these incidents, they would be ready and able as all their members have the necessary training already.