Number of life-saving first responder teams drops by more than a third post-pandemic

Ger O'Dea, National Ambulance Service community engagement manager: 'We really rely then on the first responders to get there quicker because they don’t have to travel the same distance. It really important in rural settings.' Picture: Jim Coughlan

The number of life-saving volunteer teams answering emergency heart attack calls has dropped from 275 before the pandemic to just 170 now.

There has been an urgent call for volunteers to get involved once more.