As part of the “Save a Life” campaign Cork Airport is offering Cardiac First responder training (CFR) to all airport staff at a discounted rate of €50 to cover course and certification costs. Emergency First Responders (EFR’s) of the Airport Police Fire and Rescue Service have saved numerous victims of sudden cardiac arrest within the airport and surrounds including most recently a customer of the Cork International Hotel.

EFR’s will train staff and other businesses at Cork Airport and a public defibrillator has been located centrally in the terminal next to the check in desks so that anyone who has been trained to use one can do so effectively.

Speaking at the launch of the training last week, Cork Airport Fire Officer, Warren Delaforce said: “The course is a beneficial life skill that can be learned in a four hour training session and has to be renewed every two years. Since 2002 we have been trained to respond to all kinds of medical emergencies and especially cardiovascular related illnesses.

“Our training is not just confined to the workplace as the skills we learn can be put to good use in our social and domestic environments as was demonstrated when APF Rob Jenkins saved the life of his opponent who fell victim to sudden cardiac arrest during a tennis match. Also, APF Fergal Sargent found a cyclist collapsed by the roadside having suffered a cardiac arrest and his speedy intervention was key to the man’s full recovery.

“Until recently mortality from ischaemic heart disease in Ireland was high (over 25%) compared with rates in other countries. In particular, when compared with other European Union countries, Ireland had the highest rate in men and the third highest rate in women. The reasons behind these figures were speculative but usually based around cultural and demographical issues.

“Measures to reduce these mortality rates have been steadily increasing since the millennium and now defibrillators can be widely found in the community and not just confined to ambulances or hospitals.”
Cork Airport is the international gateway to the South of Ireland. Welcoming over 6,000 passengers a day, and more than 11,000 passengers a day in peak season, it is the country’s second busiest airport after Dublin. More than 2.1 million passengers travel through the airport each year, flying to destinations across the UK and throughout continental Europe.