A suite of new Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) is being rolled out across Louth County Council Fire and Rescue Service.

In emergency situations defibrillators can play a potentially lifesaving role and have been used by the Fire Service in Louth since 2005, initially in Carlingford, Drogheda and Dundalk stations. These AED’s have assisted in many lifesaving interventions by the Fire Service throughout the subsequent years.

Louth County Council have recently invested in the provision of 10 new units, which will be based on each of the nine frontline vehicles throughout the county, with one unit located in the Fire Training Centre in Dundalk.

All Louth County Fire and Rescue firefighters are trained as Advanced Cardiac First Responders with most going on to complete Emergency (Medical) First Responder training.

Additional training with the new suite of AED’s has been underway in Dundalk, Drogheda, Ardee and all fire stations.

The units are the Zoll AED3 which is compatible with the AEDs used by the National Ambulance Service, ensuring a continuity of treatment and speedier transfer of a patient to a higher level of care.

The AEDs were supplied after competitive procurement by Medguard, Ashbourne.

Louth County Council Chief Fire Officer, Eamon Woulfe said: “AEDs are a basic piece of vital lifesaving equipment that are available for use on members of the public or on our own firefighters. The Fire Service were mobilised to 87 incidents in Louth during 2023 to assist the National Ambulance Service (NAS), so the addition of ten more units is very much welcomed.”