Irish Community Rapid Response (ICRR) is a charity delivering professional pre-hospital A&E care directly to the site of emergencies throughout Ireland.
Where we've come from :
The preventable loss of a child’s life in West Cork in 2006 was the catalyst that led to the formation of ICRR. Galvanised by the tragedy, community members embarked on a mission: to expedite the delivery of professional A&E care to life-threatening emergencies in rural or disadvantaged urban areas. By harnessing the goodwill of local doctors and advanced paramedics, the West Cork community established Ireland’s first voluntary Rapid Response organisation.
Replicating the success of the West Cork model, ICRR has taken its unique template for social entrepreneurship nationwide. Since 2008, ICRR has been developing a network of volunteer medical professionals throughout Ireland who can be called on to deliver critical A&E intervention within “the golden hour,” meaning the time period during which there is the highest likelihood that prompt medical treatment will prevent serious injury or death.
The ICRR Impact
Out of the 100 emergencies that ICRR teams currently respond to per month, six lives are saved. Working in conjunction with the Department of Emergency Medicine at University College Dublin (UCD), ICRR has enlisted 115 volunteer GPs to date. By 2020, ICRR aims to have 500 GPs signed up for voluntary service throughout the country.
Awards and Recognition
ICRR's achievement in social impact and innovation has been recognised by prestige organisations, such as the Arthur Guinness Fund in 2012 to West Cork Rapid Response (WCRR). In 2013, John Kearney, ICRR's Founding CEO, became a Social Entrepreneurs Ireland ‘Impact’ awardee and in 2015, he was elected as an Ashoka Fellow.
How does ICRR work?
Simply. When you call Ireland’s emergency numbers, 999 or 112, to report a life-threatening medical emergency, an ambulance will be dispatched from the nearest hospital. At the same time, the emergency service will deploy the volunteer medical professional/s nearest to you.
Helping communities to help themselves
Operating out of Skibbereen in West Cork, we continue to build a national infrastructure and ICRR’s network of Rapid Response teams, region by region. At the same time, we sustain ground operations by providing management expertise, training, equipment, logistical, and financial support to each of the Rapid Response groups established to date. We further advance our life-saving mission by supporting communities in CPR training for laypeople.
At ICRR, our two main channels of development are Rapid Response Vehicles and voluntary community GPs:
1) RAPID RESPONSE VEHICLES
Rapid Response vehicles and volunteers are declared National Ambulance Service Assets. All ICRR teams are equipped to provide specialist care as per the standards set down by the Association of Anaesthetists, the Prehospital Emergency Care Council and the clinical guidelines of the National Ambulance Service.
We have 5 Rapid Response Vehicles currently operational : 
http://www.westcorkrapidresponse.ie
http://www.eastcorkrapidresponse.ie
http://www.wwrr.ie/
http://www.mayoicrr.ie/our-doctor/
- North Dublin Rapid Response
2) COMMUNITY DOCTORS
In conjunction with the Department of Emergency Medicine in UCD, we currently have 115 GPs responding voluntarily to local emergencies.
Irish Community Rapid Response GP network
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