Irish Independent Newspaper: Fones4life

Thursday April 28 2011
A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD girl who died when her heart stopped on a class day out has inspired a campaign to equip all schools with life-saving defibrillators.
It was only after Becky Whelan's death last June that her parents, Vincent and Brigid-Ann, discovered she was suffering from a rare heart condition called Long QT Syndrome.
Becky, from Carrick-on-Suir, Co Waterford, was just minutes from a hospital when the incident occurred, but it wasn't close enough to save her.
Now her family is urging all schools to make the life-saving device a must-have.
Becky's old school, Crehana, outside Carrick-on-Suir, is one of six in the area that now have defibrillators and staff are being trained in their use.
Becky's aunt, Breda Fitzgerald, is principal of one of those schools, Newtown Upper, and raised the issue at the Irish National Teachers Organisation conference, where she was a delegate.
"Becky was engaged in low-level physical activity when her heart stopped and sadly she didn't recover," Ms Fitzgerald said. "She was in Waterford city and only three minutes from the hospital. The teachers reacted straight away."
After Becky's death, the family made contact with footballer Seaghan Kearney, whose life was saved by a defibrillator at his GAA club and who is now raising awareness on the issue.
Although defibrillators cost about €1,200 to buy, schools can trade 250 mobile phones for one under the FONES4LIFe recycling initiative.
Ms Fitzgerald said the six schools had no difficulty collecting phones, but she would like the Department of Education to fund the purchase of defibrillators.
- Katherine Donnelly
Irish Independent

http://www.independent.ie/education/latest-news/little-girls-death-motivates-defibrillator-campaign-2631840.html

Irish Times Newspaper: Fones4life

Call for defibrillators in all schools after death

Reporter: LOUISE HOLDEN Friday, April 29, 2011
A WATERFORD principal has launched a campaign to provide defibrillators to all schools after her seven-year-old niece died of sudden cardiac arrest on a school trip last year.

Becky Whelan of Crehena National School in Waterford collapsed in an activity centre in Waterford last June. She was brought to Waterford Regional Hospital but did not recover.
It was later discovered Becky suffered from a genetic disorder known as Long QT syndrome, which causes abnormalities in the hearts’ electrical system.

Becky’s aunt Breda Fitzgerald is principal of the nearby Newtown Upper National School. Together with Becky’s mother Bridget Anne Whelan, Ms Fitzgerald has launched a campaign to provide all schools with defibrillators in conjunction with an Irish company called HeartSafety Solutions.

“We set about raising awareness about equipping local schools with defibrillators,” Ms Fitzgerald told delegates at the INTO conference in Sligo yesterday. “We are working with a company that will provide a defibrillator and training to schools in exchange for 250 old mobile phones.

Six schools in our area have already got defibrillators through this campaign. We want to spread the message to other schools.” HeartSafety Solutions is a Dublin-based manufacturer of defibrillators and first aid equipment. The company runs a schools’ programme called Fones4Life through which schools can exchange used mobile phones for defibrillators. Heartsafety Solutions http://www.hearts.ie/
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0428/1224295620979.html

Irish Examiner Newspaper: Fones4life

Schoolgirl’s family lead campaign for defibrillators
Irish Examiner Thursday, April 28, 2011 By Niall Murray, Education Correspondent
The sudden death of a seven-year-old Waterford girl could save other lives thanks to her family’s campaign to get defibrillators into every school in the country.

Becky Whelan was on a trip with her classmates from Crehana National School last June when her heart suddenly stopped during some light physical activity. "The teachers reacted straight away, she was within three minutes of the hospital in Waterford city but there was nothing they could do and sadly she didn’t recover," said Becky’s aunt, Breda Fitzgerald.

Her parents Vincent and Bridget Ann later found out she had a genetic condition known as long QT syndrome which caused an electric short in her heart. She had passed out a few times previously but the rare condition was not linked to it until after she died.
After the initial shock, trauma and confusion, Bridget Ann and Breda, who is Vincent’s sister, decided to try and ensure other families don’t suffer similar tragedy.

They read about how young Dublin man Seaghan Kearney was one of a tiny number of adults to survive a sudden cardiac arrest similar to that which killed Tyrone footballer Cormac McAnallen. He told them about an awareness campaign run by the Mater Heart Foundation.
"We think every school should have a defibrillator that could be used if something like this happens in class or away on trips or at matches because there’s just a few minutes in which a life can be saved.

"The Department of Education should put them in all schools but we are helping schools to get their own," Breda said.
The principal of a 52-pupil school in Newtown Upper, near Carrick- on-Suir, Co Tipperary, told the INTO annual congress about the Becky’s Beat website highlighting Sudden Cardiac Arrest in children and the Fones4Life campaign.
Run by Irish company Heartsafety Solutions, it gives a defibrillator worth around €1,200 to schools, clubs and community groups in exchange for 250 old mobile phones for recycling. Training is offered for extra phones or a small fee.

"We got a defibrillator into our own school and along with five others in the area including Becky’s school, teachers are doing training next week. As principal, I feel more secure now, it goes everywhere with us on school activities, it’s only the size of a lunchbox," said Breda.
"This will never bring her back but it’s giving us huge hope, and it’s given her mum and dad the satisfaction that they may help somebody else’s child."

http://www.beckysbeat.ie/ http://www.hearts.ie/ http://www.fones4life.ie/
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, April 28, 2011
 Read more: http://www.examiner.ie/ireland/schoolgirls-family-lead-campaign-for-defibrillators-152786.html#ixzz1KtsEFNsV

Presentation Ballingarry, Young Social Innovators

Good Luck to Jane Prendergast & all the students invloved with Second Chance “Restart Your Heart” YSI Project.
11th of May in the Citywest Hotel

Fones4life Presentation Ballingarry School Receive Defibrillator

Well done all the students and teachers of Presentation Ballingarry for all their hard work
They collected old mobile fones & now have a lifesaving defibrillator

Heartsafety Solutions Defibrillators

Defibrillator Video

CPR On Dog

PHECC CPR Video

Heartsafety Solutions are an approved training site with PHECC

CPR Video

Irish Heart Foundation Stroke Video

Heartsafety Solutions are an approved training site with Irish Heart Foundation

2010 Guidelines for CPR

CPR Guidelines

Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Powerheart G3 AEDs Cardiac Science FDA Recall Notice

ZOLL AED Recall Notice

Philips Recall Notice

Defibtech Recall Notice

First Aid Kits

First Aid Kits

First Aid Sports Bags



First Aid Sports Bags



Defibrillators Ireland



Defibrillators Ireland



Defibrillators in Guinness St James Gate Facility

Defibrillators in Guinness St James Gate Facilityhttp://www.hearts.ie/

GAA Defibrillator



GAA Defibrillator



Defibrillators in Dáil Éireann



Defibrillators in Dáil Éireann



April is National Pet First Aid Awareness Month

April is National Pet First Aid Awareness Month

St Colmcilles GAA Club Fones4life

Collect unwanted mobile phones from your community, school or club
250 phones get you a defibrillator and 360 phones get you a defibrillator with training for 6 people or a defibrillator and a heated outdoor cabinet
Contact Us to arrange collection of your mobile phones
Receive your lifesaving equipment/ training
Heartsafety Solutions will then donate €100 to The Cormac Trust

Fones4life collecting St Colmcilles GAA Club

http://www.cilles.com/?p=3088

AED Storage Protect Your Defibrillator

AED Storage Protect Your Defibrillator

Defibrillator At Hook Lighthouse In All Waether Heated AED Storage



Defibrillator At Hook Lighthouse In All Waether Heated AED Storage



Defibrillator 500p.. great feedback in CPR & from everyone @ RESUS 2011

Defibrillator 500p.. great feedback in CPR & from everyone @ RESUS 2011

INTERNATIONAL RESUSCITATION RESUS 2011

INTERNATIONAL RESUSCITATION RESUS 2011

APRIL 1ST AND 2ND

RADISSON BLU HOTEL, LIMERICK

Welcome:

·         Dr Cathal O’Donnell, Conference Chair Official Opening:

·         Mr Tom Mooney, Chair, Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council

·         ERC BLS Guidelines

·         Dr Ruud Koster, Co-Chair ILCOR 2010 BLS Taskforce

·         The Acute Coronary Syndromes Clinical Programme – A Vision For The Future

·         Prof Kieran Daly, National ACS Programme Lead

·         Military Demo (Outside)

EDUCATION

·         Learning And The Internet

·         Dr Wiebe de Vries, Educational Advisor, Dutch Resuscitation Council, Netherlands Red Cross and Educational Advisory Group, ERC

·         Medical Simulation Training Dr Crina Burlacu, Director of Medical Simulation, College of Anaesthetists.

·         Implementation Of Maintenance Of Competence Strategies In ECC. Dr Jerry Potts, Director of Research,

·         Development and Innovation, American Heart Foundation

·         STROKE Stroke In Ireland – 2011 And Beyond Dr Joe Harbison, National Stroke Clinical

·         Programme Lead

·         Establishing Stroke Thrombolysis In An Acute Hospital

·         Dr Peter Boers, Consultant Neurologist, MWRH Limerick

·         The Irish Heart Association Fast Campaign Chris Macy, Head of Advocacy, Irish Heart Foundation

·         VOLUNTARY SECTOR

·         CPR Skills Kits Nigel Truscott, Commander St John Ambulance, Jersey.

·         CFR 2010 And Responders

·         Barry O’Sullivan, Deputy Director, PHECC The Voluntary Ambulance Sector And Skills Maintenance –Discussion Forum

·         Shane Knox, National Ambulance Service College / PHECC

ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROMES

·         Primary PCI Or Prehospital Thrombolysis For STEMI

·         Dr Hans Christian Mochmann, Cardiologist, Universitats Medizin, Berlin.

·         Primary PCI And The Ambulance Service – Experiences At London Ambulance Service.

·         Mark Whitbread, Clinical Practice Manager, London Ambulance Service

DAY TWO

SATURDAY APRIL 2ND

·         Heartsine give talk Defibrillators the Past, Present & Future..

·         2010 ERC ALS Guidelines Dr Charles Deakin, Chair ILCOR ALS Taskforce

·         Recovery From Cardiac Arrest-Patient Experiences

·         Ken Spearpoint, Consultant Nurse in Resuscitation, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

·         Joined Up Resuscitation – The Interface Between The EMS And The Emergency Department

·         Prof Stephen Cusack, Dept of Emergency Medicine Cork University Hospital & University College Cork

EVENT MEDICINE

·         Prehospital Preparation And Response At The Toronto G8/G20 Summits 2010-From Ipp’s To The Black Bloc

·         Dr Damien Ryan, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, MWRH, Limerick Doctor To Champions

·         Mr Peter Murchan, Consultant General Surgeon, South Tipperary General Hospital and Team Doctor, Tipperary Senior Hurling Team.

·         Motorsport And Medicine.

·         Dr Cormac Mehigan, Consultant in

·         Emergency Medicine, MWRH and former team doctor Mitsubishi Rally Team.

        

ADVANCED CARE

·         The Science Behind The Changes Charles Deakin, Chair ILCOR 2010 ALS Taskforce

·         Post – Resuscitation Care

·         Dr Fergal Cummins, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, MWRH Limerick

·         CAcBCDE

·         David Halliwell, Head of Education  Southwestern Ambulance Service NHS Trust

·         DEBATE – Does Ireland Need A Resuscitation Council?

·         Dr Geoff King, Director PHECC

·         Professor Gerry Bury, Centre for Emergency Medical Science, UCD.

·         Dr Mark Doyle, Chair ACLS Committee, IHF and Deputy Medical Director, National Ambulance Service.

·         Conference Close

A great success
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