Cartron Community First Responder’s

08/03/2025

Happy International Women’s Day!

Today, we celebrate the incredible women of the National Ambulance Service and the Volunteer Community First Responder Service who dedicate their time, skills, and compassion to saving lives every day. Your commitment, strength, and kindness make a difference in communities across the country.

Thank you for your unwavering service and for being an inspiration to us all!

23/12/2024

👏👏👏

Circle K has announced it will provide complimentary hot drinks to all emrgency service workers on December 25th and 31st

06/12/2024

With multiple weather warnings in place for , including Red and Orange wind warnings, please be cautious and stay safe.


Ocean FM Ireland Sligo City Firefighters An Garda Síochána Sligo/Leitrim Sligo - Live Invest Visit Sligo Weekender The Sligo Champion

05/12/2024

26/08/2024

With less than a week to go before school resumes, we're delighted to announce that our activity books are now available for download here: https://bit.ly/3yMswj6

Suitable for primary aged children, this activity book covers the basics of how, why and when to call an ambulance.

26/08/2024

It's natural to want to see what's going on in an emergency situation, but please put the camera away 📵

If you witness a medical emergency or accident, respect the privacy of both patients and staff and don't take any photos or recordings.

12/08/2024

TICKET COST RESPOND 24

This year there has been a price rise for tickets for Respond. This is the first price rise since 2016. We would like to take this opportunity to explain why. Once we have done so we hope you understand and we look forward to seeing you there. We believe the ticket cost is still great value for money as there is plenty on offer on the day, but we hope you also avail of all the discounts available to make it even better value.

If you still feel the ticket cost is too high, we know as volunteers, we have done everything we can to keep the costs down for our fellow volunteers. Please join our mailing list or keep an eye on our social media for the free events we offer during the year to members. These include the recent volunteering workshops and our skills days.

THE REASON FOR THE €10PP INCREASE
1. The hotel where we host the conference has increased the costs to us which is completely understandable. We have not passed on these increases before now but as a non profit organisation there is no funding to cover the additional costs this year.
2. The hotel we use is one of the few in the midlands that can accommodate a conference of this kind. There are many others that could but the travel costs would increase massively for certain groups coming from opposite ends of the country and this would undo any savings in ticket cost.
3. CFR Ireland is a non profit organisation. We cover the cost of Respond with ticket sales, our traders including our main sponsor EireMed, any funding from the National Lottery which was much reduced this year. We do not receive central funding or any other funding.

HELP REDUCE THE PRICE
1. Book before the 31st of August for a discount of €10pp as part of the Early Bird offer for all.
2. Join CFR Ireland as a registered group (live, set up stage, individual from another volunteer organisation, NAS staff). This is free of charge and all CFR Ireland members receive a €20pp discount up until the day.

PLEASE NOTE
1. Respond is organised by CFR volunteers for CFR volunteers and has no paid staff.
2. We are a registered charity and our accounts are fully visible.

29/07/2024

28/06/2024

School is out and summer is here. If you’re heading to the seaside this weekend, use our top tips to help keep you and your family safe.

Choose a lifeguarded beach: Choosing to visit a lifeguarded beach gives you and your family the protection of highly trained lifesavers. They can see the dangers develop, prevent accidents before they happen and respond instantly if anyone gets into difficulty. And make sure you know your flags.

Call 999 or 112 in an emergency and ask for the Coast Guard: When you go to the beach, always carry a means of calling for help. If you’re going in the water, you can carry your mobile phone in a waterproof pouch.

Float to Live: If you find yourself struggling in the water, or if you fall in unexpectedly, Float to Live. Relax and try to breathe normally. Tilt your head back and submerge your ears. Use your hands to help you stay afloat. Once your breathing is under control, call for help or swim to safety.

26/06/2024

📢 Calling All Community Heroes – Sligo Civil Defence Wants You! 🦸
Are you ready to step up and serve your community? Sligo Civil Defence is thrilled to announce that we will soon be opening applications for new recruits for the class of 2024!

🛡️ Why Join Us?
Learn essential skills in first aid, search and rescue, and more.
Play a vital role in community safety and emergency responses.
Be part of a respected and supportive team making a real difference.

🗓️ Recruitment Opening Soon!
Stay tuned for application dates, details, and how you can become a part of our incredible team.

23/06/2024

25/05/2024

We welcome four new CFRs, who will begin their CFR - Community course next week. If you are interested in joining our team, please let us know.

We cover an area of approximately 8 kilometres in the north of Sligo. We respond to life-threatening emergency calls and are generally the initial point of contact before the ambulance arrives.

We've been tasked to over 140 emergency 999 calls, which include cardiac arrests, choking, strokes, heart attacks and other medical emergencies.

We are delighted to inform you that we have been involved in two successful cardiac arrest calls, which led to a satisfactory outcome for our patients.

We provide free training and equipment, and you can live anywhere in or near our response district. Our response map is available on all of our social media profiles in the (pinned) areas.

12/03/2024

An amazing opportunity/ prize for local CFR groups!

COMPETITION TIME.
It's been a while since we ran a competition, so to rectify that we have a great one.

We'd like to offer a CFR community group a FULL 5 DAY EFR training course with a 1 Day CFR A as the first day, (6 days training total) for a group of 6 people.
To be in with a chance to win :
1. Like this POST
2. Like our PAGE
3. TAG 3 people who might like this
4. SHARE

Winner drawn on 26th April.
*Subject to EMTS terms and conditions.

01/03/2024

🚨🎉 Happy Civil Defence Day 2024! 🎉🚨

Today, we celebrate the unwavering dedication and invaluable contributions of the Civil Defence and its remarkable volunteers. 🙌

🔹 Our Mission 🔹
Our team stands ready to protect, assist, and provide crucial support to our community in times of need. From emergency responses to natural disasters, public events, and community training, our commitment to safety and preparedness knows no bounds.

🔹 Thank You 🔹
To our volunteers, supporters, and the community we serve: Thank you. Your support and trust fuels our mission and makes all the difference. Here's to many more years of service, safety, and resilience.

Let's celebrate the spirit of Civil Defence Day by recognizing those who stand ready to defend and aid our community at a moment's notice. 🌟

17/02/2024

Meningitis symptoms can appear in any order. Some may not appear at all, so make sure you know what to look out for.
Someone with meningitis or septicaemia can get worse very quickly; keep checking them!

03/02/2024

St Brigid’s Bank Holiday weekend water safety appeal from the Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland

Ahead of the first long weekend of 2024 celebrating St Brigid, the Irish Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland have issued a joint water safety appeal, asking people to stay safe when in, near or on the water.

The organisations are also reminding the public that water and air temperatures are relatively cold this time of the year and that hypothermia can set in quickly when sea swimming or coastal walking.

Water temperatures are still cold, meaning cold water shock and hypothermia are risks that can affect everyone. To avoid this during swims, people should acclimatise to the water slowly to get used to the cold and warm up quickly upon exiting the water.

The Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland advise everyone intending to take part in any water-based activity or coastal walks to make sure they check in advance what they should do to keep safe.

If heading out on the water or visiting the coast:

Never mix alcohol with water activities

Always check the weather and tides

Carry a reliable means of raising the alarm – a VHF radio, Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) or a fully charged mobile phone

Tell someone where you are going and what time you will be back

Wear a suitable Personal Flotation Device when boating or angling

Watch out for incoming tides to avoid getting cut off

If you are swimming:

Water temperatures are still cold at this time of the year, consider wearing a wetsuit to stay warm

Acclimatise slowly, wear a bright swimming cap and consider a tow float to increase your visibility

Never swim alone and always ensure that your activity is being monitored by a colleague

Gerard O’Flynn, Coast Guard Head of Operations says: ‘It is important to plan activities carefully this time of the year given that the weather conditions can be cold and changeable, for guidance on water safety planning, people should consult the safety on the water website at gov - Safety on the water (www.gov.ie)’

Roger Sweeney, Water Safety Ireland’s Deputy CEO, says: ‘Winter storms have damaged many waterside walking routes that were considered familiar and safe but may now be hazardous. Erosion underfoot is not always obvious until it is too late. Tell children in your care that to stay SAFE is to Stay Away From Edges. Use walkways that have public rescue equipment such as ringbuoys in bright yellow boxes. Report missing or vandalised ringbuoys at www.ringbuoys.ie, as a stolen ringbuoy could mean a stolen life.’

Linda-Gene Byrne, RNLI Regional Water Safety Lead added: ‘If you find yourself struggling in the water unexpectedly, your instinct will tell you to swim hard. But cold-water shock can make you gasp uncontrollably. Then you can breathe in water and drown. Instead, you should Float to Live.

‘The best way to float is to tilt your head back with your ears submerged. Try to relax and breathe normally. You can gently move your hands to help you stay afloat if you need to. Spread your arms and legs out to improve stability – and it's OK if your legs sink, we all float differently. Once your breathing is under control, call for help or swim to safety.’

If you see somebody in trouble on the water or along the coast, or think they are in trouble; Dial 112 or use VHF radio CH 16 and ask for the Coast Guard.

01/01/2024

𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞
𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒
CFR Ireland are delighted to be returning the North West for a Community First Responder skills morning hosted by Strandhill Community First Responders .
Date: Saturday January 27th, 2024
Venue: Sligo Airport, Airport Rd. Strandhill, Co. Sligo, F91W53K
Places are limited.
Registration opening soon.
The morning will consist of specialist workshops and demonstrations centred around Community First Responder activity.
All are welcome Community First Responders (CFRs) – reactivated, soon to be reactivated, non CFRs and anyone considering joining or forming a CFR scheme.
For information, please contact info@cfr.ie.
See you there.