Heart attack motorist resuscitated by armed response gardaí
The elite officers resuscitated the 50-year-old man on the roadside before using a defibrillator to restart his heart.
The gardaí, members of the new Regional Support Unit (RSU), have been commended for their quick actions on a wet and dark night on the main Limerick to Cork road.
The patient, whose anxious wife was by his side during the ordeal, is undergoing cardiac treatment and is expected to make a full recovery.
The specialist RSU is an elite unit of heavily armed gardaí, the first of its kind in Ireland. It began patrolling Cork, Kerry and Limerick last month.
Superintendent Tom Hayes, who commands the north Cork area, said the pair were on the N20 on Monday when they spotted a car which had veered into a ditch. Inside, they found the unconscious and unresponsive driver slumped over the steering wheel showing signs of suffering from cardiac arrest. Specially trained in first aid, the officers began CPR before using an automated external defibrillator which is fitted in each RSU vehicle. As heavy traffic passed by the defibrillator — which is automated and determines whether a shock should be administered or not — dispensed four shocks until a heartbeat was found.
The gardaí, with the aid of an off-duty nurse, then continued CPR until paramedics arrived. Supt Hayes said officers will be recognised for their work.
“This is part of their normal duty and we expect them to carry out their duties like they did that night,” he said. “They were doing their work but obviously, they are delighted that they contributed to saving a life.”
The man and his wife have asked not to be named.
Supt Hayes said the incident shows the versatility of gardaí in the unit.
“Not only are they there to respond to critical incidents, they are also trained to respond to other kinds of different incidents like this,” he said. “They were our first two members to use the equipment, we are delighted it could be used and was successful.”
The same type of defibrillators are carried in district patrol cars in the Blanchardstown area and have been used there in the past. Members of the new RSU — which was piloted in the southern region — patrol as regular gardaí but change into RSU mode in the event of a serious incident. The officers, who drive in a specially adapted Volvo XC70 turbo diesel marked police car, are on call to support other Garda units in the event of a critical incident like a hostage situation or armed robbery.
They carry non-lethal and lethal weapons, including Heckler and Koch machine guns and Benelli shotguns, which are kept in a secure box.
Most of the members are aged under 35, and have undergone an intensive 13-week training programme in tactical deployment, conflict resolution, negotiation, entry methods, tactical driving, first aid and the use of less lethal options and firearms.
If successful, the pilot scheme will become permanent and rolled out across the country.
