Portlaoise Community First Responders to host open training session at Portlaoise Library

PORTLAOISE Community First Responders (PCFR) will host their first open training session at Portlaoise Library on Thursday 22 January from 6.30pm - 7.30pm.

Founded in 2024, and active in the community since January 2025, PCFR operates under the governance of the National Ambulance Service.

Comprised of 12 volunteers, PCFR is one of the many CFR groups dotted throughout the countryside.

Whenever there is an emergency involving a heart attack, a cardiac arrest, stroke, choking, or chest pain, the PCFR’s members receive the same text alert as the emergency services. If they can assist, they will attend the call and see to the medical emergency until an ambulance arrives.

PCFR members are trained to do basic CPR and to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

Samantha White volunteers with the PCFR. “Most of us have a defibrillator in the back of our car that we can take with us to a call out if somebody comes into cardiac arrest”, she says.

According to Samantha, training to join a CFR takes a day. “We have two trainers within our group, and they can train the wider community in a heart saver course … We also try to train the community on how to do CPR as well and how to use a defibrillator.” There are currently four public access defibrillators in Portlaoise, Samantha says, and the PCFR members check them weekly.

“There’s quite a lot of defibrillators in the town, and we're trying to help increase the amount. We're trying to raise funds to have at least seven within a seven-kilometre radius of Lyster Square.” The PCFR began life in 2024 when a few of its members had heard to a radio programme on RTÉ Radio One. It was about CFR groups around the country.

Community member Amanda Wilkinson then took the initiative to organise a meeting to gauge interest in establishing one locally in Portlaoise.

Initially, there were ten core members. Samantha served as the group’s first co-ordinator, a role she served until recently. She now works as one of PCFR’s trustees and continues to support from behind the scenes.

The PCFR went live in January 2025 and began attending callouts.

“We've just gotten into a nice rhythm since then”, says Samantha.

The PCFR host fortnightly training sessions to keep up their CPR skills. “If you don't use it, you lose it”, says White.

Next Thursday, 22 January, the PCFR are hosting their first-ever open training session. Members of the public are invited to attend, ask us questions and see how the PCFR operates.

“It's time to include more members”, says Samantha. “We want to get bigger so we can cover more callouts as time goes on”.

There is only one ambulance base in Portlaoise, says Samantha. “And sometimes ambulances can get called out to another county, and they might not be there when a call comes in. So, we just help bridge that gap, along with other first responders, like the Civil Defence, the Fire and Emergency Service, and off-duty paramedics.” 

Recently, the PCFR were nominated for the People First Credit Union Community Awards with two other groups, and since October the group has operated as a registered charity.