Work on Maggie’s Call initiative continues in Carnlough – fire chief

By Rebecca Black, PA

Work on an initiative for on-call firefighters to attend cardiac calls with the ambulance service is continuing in Carnlough, the fire chief has said.

Health Minister Robin Swann announced Maggie’s Call in February in memory of five-year-old Maggie Black who died in December 2021 in the Co Antrim village, after waiting more than an hour for an ambulance to arrive.

The collaboration between the NI Fire & Rescue Service and the NI Ambulance Service was to see a phased rollout of on-call firefighters trained to co-respond to incidents in rural areas where someone had suffered a cardiac arrest.

But the Northern Ireland Assembly heard yesterday that work had stopped over potential legal concerns.

Today, chief fire and rescue officer Peter O’Reilly said work on the initiative is ongoing at Carnlough station.

He received a solicitor’s letter from a firm acting on behalf of the local Regional Committee of the Fire Brigades Union.

“This letter threatened legal action against Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) if I did not confirm, in writing, that NIFRS would not proceed with the work associated with Maggie’s Call,” he said.

“I can confirm that the work associated with Maggie’s Call, at Carnlough Fire and Rescue Station, began at 5pm on Saturday February 26 2022 and continues.”

He went on to pay tribute to Maggie Black’s family noting that over 23,000 backed their campaign in a petition.

“We are determined to support similar local communities who would also like to see their local community firefighters answer Maggie’s Call and be mobilised to save more lives,” he said.

“We will continue to meet with the representative bodies of firefighters to determine how best to progress Maggie’s Call to all NIFRS fire & rescue stations.”

He added: “Maggie’s Call has expedited our plans to enhance how we deliver our service to the public.

“Working in partnership with our colleagues in Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, we are committed to answering Maggie’s Call.

“We know that by ensuring the fastest response possible we can give patients the best possible chance of survival.”