Spanish tourist ‘lucky to be alive’ after suffering cardiac event as local response team hailed
The Strandhill Community First Responders, who cover emergency incidents throughout the Coolera Peninsula, including Strandhill, are celebrating their fifth anniversary on Wednesday in Coolera House.
The voluntary group, which was established by local first responders, is presenting two of their members with special award pins for saving the life of a Spanish tourist who suffered a cardiac incident after climbing Queen Maeve’s Cairn in Strandhill in March.
Shane Feeney and Jennifer Lindsay will be presented with the pins to acknowledge their efforts in stabilising the man after he suffered a cardiac episode in the village.
As a result of the responders’ immediate action, the patient survived and was later discharged some two months later from hospital.
The National Ambulance Service paid tribute to both Shane and Jennifer’s efforts, along with the patient’s family and others who helped stabilise him.
This achievement is particularly significant when viewed in the context of national data. According to the 2024 Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Register, survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remains quite low, with approximately 8% of patients surviving to hospital discharge.
“Each successful resuscitation, therefore, represents an extraordinary outcome against considerable odds,” it was noted.
The National Ambulance Service told Shane and Jennifer that: “Through your swift actions and clinical excellence at the scene, you contributed to saving this patient’s life, where every second and every intervention mattered.
“Your professionalism , composure, and compassion provided reassurance in a moment of extreme crisis, which reflects greatly on you as a Community First Responder and the National Ambulance Service Community First Response network as a whole.
“It takes a system to save a life, and we are proud to be able to say that you were part of the excellent NAS System that swung into action when this emergency call was received.”
Both Shane and Jennifer receive a specially NAS ROSC pin badge in commendation for their actions that led to such a positive outcome.
Shane spoke to The Sligo Champion about the Strandhill Community First Responders and said they are delighted to celebrate five years of voluntary community response.
The evening, on Wednesday, in Coolera House, also includes special presentations and dedication and a defibrillator donation to the group in memory of local man, Justin Scanlon, who passed away earlier this year.
Shane and Jennifer will be presented with their ROSC pins, recognising saving a life in March.
Shane said the event is a significant milestone for their volunteer group and a tribute to the community’s support that has sustained them over the past five years.
“We as a group are five years old and we set it up at the end of covid. We cover the whole Coolera Peninsula and we all live in the area. There is ten in the group and seven of us are responders.
“We get on average three call-outs a month, but that can vary.”
The responders have an app that can then alert them to being dispatched to an incident.
“We attend incidents such as cardiac events, respiratory, chest pains, chocking etc.
“The Ambulance from the hospital will also be dispatched.
“In the case of a cardiac event, we start defibrillations as quick as we can. Because we are in the locality, we are normally there before the Ambulance to assist.”
Shane went on to say that there are a good few responders’ groups throughout the county of Sligo, which people may not be aware of.
“There are a good few. There is one in Cartron, a new group in Rosses Point, Maugherow, Riverstown, Ballymote, Culfadda, Tubbercurry and Charlestown and there is a big one in Ballina.
“It is all volunteers and we don’t get HSE funding, it’s different in the UK, similar groups likes ourselves do receive funding from the NHS or whoever, it’s a different system over there.
“We respond in our own domestic cars, so we are not allowed to break any road traffic rules or anything like that.”
Shane went on to say that the responders all have their separate jobs. “I work as a Care Assistant in Cloonamahon and Jennifer is a nurse in the hospital, so most of us are in the medical area.”
The Scanlon family is donating a defibrillator to the group in memory of Justin.
“We are going to be able to carry it with us in our kits, so that will be very beneficial,” Shane explains.
Speaking of the cardiac emergency involving the Spanish tourist in March, Shane says that he was ‘one lucky man’.
“As it happens, Jennifer was nearby in Centra and I was at home on the Glen Road, there were two paramedics in the airport as well and an advanced emergency doctor was teaching in Sligo and he came out the road, so we were all there in minutes.
“The man’s daughter was doing CPR and then we started with the defibrillator, he was so lucky.
“The man was here on holidays and spent two months in hospital.”
When asked what people should do if in an emergency situation, Shane says: “Try and call as early as possible, it is vitally important to know your eircode and then follow the instructions from the person on the phone.
“We are automatically dispatched and if you know your eircode, ask someone to call for help, call an ambulance and help can get there quicker.
“The man we assisted had climbed the mountain and didn’t feel right. He was near Dolly’s Cottage in Strandhill and there were three Ukrainian girls who helped his daughter with CPR. One of them was waiting on the road to point where we had to go, Jennifer left her shopping behind in Centra, but we were just so glad of the positive outcome for the man,” Shane adds.
Wednesday sees the Strandhill Community First Responders celebrate their 5th anniversary and Shane everyone is welcome to attend to mark the milestone.
The website for CFR is becomeacfr.ie if people would like to find out more information