Garda cars in west Dublin and Co Kilkenny will be equipped with defibrillators as part of a new initiative to help save the lives of heart-attack victims.
The Garda patrol vehicle crews in both Blanchardstown and Kilkenny districts have been trained in the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to Irish Heart Foundation/American Heart Association standards.
The First Response initiative involves around 140 trained gardaí and 13 patrol vehicles.
The 12-month scheme was developed with the assistance of James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown; the Health Service Executive and Dublin Fire Brigade.
The Garda point out that survival rates decrease by 10 per cent for every minute lost between cardiac arrest and defibrillation. Defibrillation within five minutes of cardiac arrest can be life-saving, the Garda say.
Fine Gael health spokesman Dr Liam Twomey welcomed the move but suggested it should not just be limited to Garda squad cars.
He said in situations where emergency response times can be slow, defibrillators could be used by trained volunteer within the community. Other essential equipment like emergency oxygen could also be made available, Dr Twomey said.
"Volunteers from the community would then be trained by ambulance staff so that they can be called to the scene of a cardiac arrest while the ambulance is on its way," he added.