The life saving action of Athlone River Safety Awareness Group volunteer, Karyn Martin, has been formally recognised by her peers, her swift response to a potentially fatal incident on the River Shannon in 2021, a just reflection of the work conducted by the organisation since its formation in 2019.
Reflecting this week, Cllr Aengus O’Rourke, chairperson, Athlone River Safety Awareness Group, noted the positive impact of the organisation within the community as he recalled the near fatal river incident.
“Athlone River Safety Awareness was established in 2019, its core objective being to improve the chances of survival of those who enter the water in the river in Athlone.
“They do this by having a highly trained cohort of volunteers ready and available close to the river at all times and also by having the latest in water rescue equipment at their disposal.
“In August 2021 on a beautiful summer’s day along the quays in Athlone at the back of the Castle a man entered the water in the mid afternoon. Immediately, the alarm was raised on the emergency call app which the group use to co-ordinate their activities. At the same time a passerby ran in to Sean’s Bar to call for emergency assistance.
“Athlone River Safety Awareness volunteer Karyn Martin was on duty in Sean’s Bar at the time and together with her manager, Declan Delaney, they rushed to the scene. Declan is also a volunteer of the group. Both Declan and Karyn had recently received training in the use of defibrillators, resuscitation and CPR and they put this training into swift action.
“The man was taken from the water at the small slipway to the rear of Athlone Castle, he was non-responsive but had a pulse. Karyn, with Declan’s assistance, put her training to great use and soon the man was responsive again as the ambulance arrived.
“This man is alive today because of Karyn’s swift action. It’s not easy to take over a frantic scene like Karen did last August. To conduct CPR in these circumstances took a cool head, great concentration and a real determination to save a life. Karyn’s actions resulted in a very good outcome on the day, she quite literally saved the man’s life. Until now the probability of someone surviving a fall into the River Shannon in Athlone town was very low.
“For generations the outcome from such an incident would be a recovery rather than a rescue, but, now with the Athlone River Safety Awareness Group in place, the odds of survival have dramatically improved for those who find themselves in the water, for whatever reason.
“I want to thank Karyn Martin for her amazing response that day and as a group we are very proud to have her as one of our volunteers.
“At our most recent Athlone River Safety Awareness meeting, held at the new RNLI lifeboat station in Coosan, Karyn was presented with a Certificate of Recognition by the group, for her heroic actions.
“While the certificate of recognition is just a small gesture, as a group we believe it is important to acknowledge the good work done by our volunteers when they are called upon to save a life,” Cllr O’Rourke enthused.
