No weekly battery check for community defibrilators

ENNIS Town Council will not be providing a weekly battery check of community defibrillators set to be installed throughout the town. The local authority has cited legal concerns as well as health and safety issues.

Councillor Paul O’Shea, part of the community group who fundraised for the potentially life saving equipment is now set to meet with the HSE to discuss the planning of a Cardiac First Responder Programme in the community.
Speaking at this week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council he said he “understood the legalities involved” in the councils decision not to provide a battery check service and he welcomed meeting the HSE.
Councillor O’Shea had called on the local authority to provide personnel to undertake the weekly battery check at the monthly meeting of the town council.
Responding to the notice of motion, Leonard Cleary town clerk outlined, “The provision of defibrillators in a community is an important health resource and a noble undertaking by any agency or community group.
“The undertaking of a weekly battery check on such a resource occurs in a broader planning and maintenance context, which Ennis Town Council must have regard to.
“In order to meet the needs of those requiring the defibrillator resource on the occasion of an emergency, there are a number of important considerations.”
Back in February Councillor O’Shea urged that the council install defibrillators. Following that meeting the councillor and town clerk met with the HSE. At the meeting with the HSE it was decided that Councillor O’Shea be given a copy of national guidelines for developing Cardiac First Response Programmes. The HSE Resuscitation Training Officer also offered to advice the voluntary group. It was also discussed that a proposal for Ennis to be developed as a Heart Safe Town be submitted to the County Development Board’s Health Implementation Group for further discussion.
According to Mr Cleary, “Separately from discussion with the HSE, Ennis Town Council has also considered the industrial relations and legal implications of carrying out a battery check on defibrillators that are provided by a local community group on public street corners/shop fronts in Ennis.
“The key difficulty in this regard is that Ennis Town Council does not own, maintain or operate this equipment or train the operators. Equally the Council does not have the contract for the electrical supply. In the absence of such controls, Ennis Town Council considers this a significant legal liability, and health and safety risk.
“The council does not have a remit in relation to the provision of such equipment so therefore should not become the owner, provide the maintenance regime, operate this equipment or contract the electrical supply. This is the responsibility of the group providing the equipment.
“In order to contribute to the provision of defibrillators in the town Ennis Town Council has provided a number of defibrillators on its own premises and has trained our own staff in the operation of the equipment and has the appropriate maintenance equipment regimes in place.”
Mayor of Ennis Councillor Michael Guilfoyle welcomed the installation of the community defibrillators saying, “Whoever puts the batteries in, the defibrillators are being put in place. People are talking about them and hopefully they are never needed.” Councillor Frankie Neylon urged that Chapel Lane be considered as a location for a defibrillator.