Following the drowning tragedy in Ballincollig Regional Park last year, the dream of local man Simon Potter to turn Ballincollig into a First Responder Community is set to become a reality when the service goes live shortly. With a population of almost 18,000, Ballincollig is desperately in need of a group of volunteers to respond to emergencies in the town and surrounding area.
Speaking at the time of the drowning Simon said, “ Why I decided to set up the group wasn’t solely based on the drowning, I also saw that other communities were after setting one up and I saw how well they were doing with it.” He added, “I think that everybody should learn CPR, I don’t think some people realise the absolute importance of it and how much of a difference it could make to someone’s life, it’s something you could have forever as well.”
Ballincollig Credit Union have gifted the scheme a defibrillator and many other local businesses have contributed also. For anyone wanting to join, or interested in helping Ballincollig Community Responder Scheme, you can contact them through their facebook page.