On-call firefighters in a Co Antrim fire station will respond alongside the ambulance service when someone has had a cardiac arrest, Health Minister Robin Swann has announced.
Mr Swann made the announcement after receiving a petition with more than 20,000 signatures from the family of Maggie Black in Carnlough.
The five-year-old died in December 2021 after waiting more than an hour for an ambulance to arrive.
They called a relative who is a local firefighter and a crew was dispatched to help with the initial medical response prior to the ambulance arriving.
In memory of Maggie, the Black family, from Glenarm, launched the petition to ensure that the fire service be automatically dispatched to emergency medical calls in rural areas.
The new initiative, which is a collaboration between the NI Fire & Rescue Service and the NI Ambulance Service, will see a phased rollout of on-call firefighters being trained to co-respond to incidents in rural areas where someone has had a cardiac arrest.
In the event of a medical emergency, members of the public should still contact the ambulance service via 999.
Ambulance service crews will still be dispatched to all call-outs, but local firefighters may respond to the emergency before the arrival of paramedics.
Mr Swann said he wanted to see the initiative rolled out in rural areas across Northern Ireland.
He said: “I want to pay tribute to the Black family following the tragic death of their daughter and sister Maggie.
“They have shown remarkable fortitude in the midst of unspeakable grief and it has been my privilege to share these plans with the family.
Undoubtedly there is an overlap between the skills and capability of firefighters and the needs of the health bodies in Northern Ireland
“Undoubtedly there is an overlap between the skills and capability of firefighters and the needs of the health bodies in Northern Ireland, including the ambulance service.
“Any potential for firefighters to utilise existing capacity and the skills they hold to secure better health outcomes is worthy of consideration.
“Today is a first step. The NI Fire & Rescue Service is planning to roll the scheme out further and has planned engagement sessions in fire stations across Northern Ireland.
“On-call firefighters will be asked to take part in training and invited to volunteer to allow similar schemes to launch in their home towns and local areas.
“I would encourage firefighters across Northern Ireland to engage with the service.”
Maggie’s mother Sheenagh Black said: “This announcement today, having Maggie’s Call accepted and having agreed plans in place for implementation in Maggie’s memory, means so much to us all as a family and community.
“We have successfully put our pain to purpose and made a change that can only save lives and help support the ambulance service. Two amazing services working together.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped make this happen. To everyone who signed and shared our petition, to all the clubs who held vigils for Maggie and promoted our petition.”
Chief fire and rescue officer Peter O’Reilly said: “Firstly I want to send my condolences to Sheenagh, Brian and Maggie’s wider family.
“Their strength and determination through this heartbreaking time is truly admirable.
“As an organisation, we are committed to working in collaboration with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service to co-respond to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest calls, with a specific focus on response in rural communities at this stage.
“Our firefighters will be supported and trained to deliver the best possible response in what are the worst possible scenarios.
“We know that by ensuring the fastest response possible we can give patients the best possible chance of survival.”
He added: “Maggie’s Call has expedited our plans to enhance how we deliver our service to the people of Northern Ireland and we look forward to working closely with our partner agencies as we progress.”
Northern Ireland Ambulance Service chief executive Michael Bloomfield said: “I would like to acknowledge the work of the family of Maggie Black, who following the tragic loss of their young daughter have displayed great courage and generosity of spirit.
“I hope that today’s news will bring them some comfort in the months and years to come.
“I have no doubt that this collaboration has the potential to save lives and will bring great benefits to those rural communities where ambulance response times remain challenged.”
