Call for Government funding for defibrillator upgrades
Cllr Ger Deere pictured alongside Darren Forde at Lough Lannagh following the installation of new defibrillator.
A Castlebar councillor has called on the Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys to fund the upgrading of defibrillators that are currently in place across Mayo.
Fine Gael Cllr Ger Deere recently provided funding for an Eco-powered defibrillator cabinet at Lough Lannagh in Castlebar. The cabinets are designed and installed by Mayo Person of the Year Darren Forde.
Within 48 hours of the defibrillator being installed in Lough Lannagh, an emergency occurred and the cabinet was brought into use.
Following this, Cllr Deere decided to check eight other defibrillators which are located throughout Castlebar.
The closest defibrillator to Lough Lannagh, which had been in place for several years, was non-functional and would have been of no use in this latest emergency.
Cllr Deere then discovered that out of the eight other machines, just four were functioning.
He said: “If a survey is carried out on defibrillators located throughout the county of Mayo and further afield, I believe that a huge percentage of them are not operational and therefore no good for what they are intended for, should an emergency arise.
"These life-saving pieces of equipment have been installed by individuals and community groups at enormous expense for the benefit of their communities. If they are not serviced, they are useless. It would be heartbreaking to think that should an emergency occur and the nearest defibrillator was not functioning, someone would lose their life.
"I now believe that some form of funding needs to be provided for a service agreement to ensure these devices are in proper working order.”
Cllr Deere said he intends to put down a motion at the next meeting of Mayo County Council calling on the Department of Rural and Community Development to provide a stream of funding to enable the servicing of these defibrillators. He is also calling on the council to purchase a number of these Eco-Powered cabinets to support the needs of the public on various walking and hiking trails and public amenities.
