Cobh Pirates Awards Certs To Nine New Qualified First Responders

Prior to the Old Christians game due to kick off at 2.30, the club  officially received its newly acquired AED (Automatic External defibrillator).

The fact that the club is now in possession of such  a valuable piece of first aid equipment is thanks to club medic, and ladies team member, Bridie Moloney. Bridie worked tirelessly in order to collect the required number of old mobile phones that qualified the club to receive it. The club collected 250 mobiles, which in turn were given the the fones For Life charity organized by a company called Heart Safety Solutions. This charity is in conjunction with the Cotmac McAnallen trust.

Cormac, a former Tyrone footballer and captain,died on 2 March 2004with an undetected heart condition. One of the aims of the Cormac Trust is to provide AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) to communities and clubs. Initially set up for the county of Tyrone, it is now a county wide scheme. By providing clubs and communities with AEDs and training l people and coaches  within these communities in their use, it is hoped that lives might be saved as victims of sudden cardiac arrest may be defibrillated.  Heart disease is the most common cause of unexpected sudden death in all age groups. In people over the age of 40, heart disease is usually due to narrowing or “blockage” of the blood vessels which supply the heart muscle, i.e. coronary artery disease. However, in younger people, the majority of sudden deaths are due to congenital or inherited disorders of the heart muscle and irregular heart rhythms. More than 20 different conditions have been identified as causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young people.It is with great pleasure that the following members/coaches are being presented, with their certificates in the use of the newly acquired AED. Ken Gill, Mark Cronin, John Morgan, Rob Pasley, Quintan Claasen, Paul Mulvihill, Bridie Maloney, Kieran McKweon, Fiona Perryman They are now fully qualified first responders.

The certificates are being presented by Mr Danny Flynn,fully qualified and registered instructor in first aid, advanced first aid and cpr. The certificates are official, awarded by the PHECC. (Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council). The Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) is the Irish EMS regulator. The Council is an independent statutory agency with responsibility for standards, education and training in pre-hospital emergency care. PHECC also maintain a statutory register of pre-hospital emergency care practitioners. Also prior to today’s game the clubs sponsors have been invited to view the newly refurbished bar. The club would like again, to take the opportunity to thanks all the sponsors for their continued support. In total the club caters for well in excess of 340 children, along with their 3 adult teams.