Rise of 45% in emergency calls to charity

Critical, Ireland’s leading volunteer emergency medical response charity, reported a 45% increase in medical emergency calls received during 2024, with Cork listed as one of the counties with the highest rate of responses.

The charity has said that the service saw an increase of more than 400 calls nationwide when compared to data from 2023, with volunteers tasked 1,308 times, up from 900 on the previous year.

The type of taskings where volunteers responded to a 999 call included incidents relating to chest pain, stroke, cardiac and respiratory arrest, falls, and road traffic collisions.

Cork ranked third in terms of the highest amount of taskings with 159 calls, ahead of Tipperary with 119 calls, and falling closely behind Waterford with 187 calls, and Donegal, which recorded the highest number, with 230 calls.

The service, now operational in 25 counties, established a number of new groups last year, including in Deansgrange in Co Dublin, Carrick-on-Suir, and Blackwater in North Cork.

There are further plans for the launch of more groups in 2025, including one in the Ballina/Killaloe area.

“The charity’s goal is to empower communities to save lives and it is great to see that our network of volunteer responders is growing,” said Critical’s chief executive officer David Tighe.

“Critical is providing an invaluable service by working with the National Ambulance Service to ensure that anyone who is experiencing chest pain, stroke, or cardiac arrest will be seen to within as quick a time as possible,” added Mr Tighe.

“Our volunteers always say that there is an added sense of pride in knowing that they made a difference in the lives of people in their local community by coming to their assistance when needed.”

Critical was established in 2009 as Irish Community Rapid Response, and in 2019 it successfully launched Ireland’s first and only charity air ambulance.

The charity has grown significantly since its establishment and its mission is to save lives, through a network of volunteer emergency medical responders. The doctors and community first responders work closely with the National Ambulance Service and are tasked to care for the sickest and most seriously injured patients.

In order to continue to provide its life-saving services, the charity depends heavily on donations from the public.

For further information on the services provided by Critical, or to make a donation to support the charity, visit https://criticalcharity.ie/ or call (021) 419099.