CRITICAL, Ireland’s leading voluntary emergency medical response charity, has reported a 54% increase in calls during 2025, responding to more than 2,000 incidents in one year for the first time ever. The charity’s volunteers attended 2,022 medical and trauma emergency calls last year, up from 1,308 in 2024.
The types of calls included chest pain, cardiac arrests, strokes, road traffic collisions, falls and choking incidents. CRITICAL volunteers in Dublin responded to 493 separate incidents during 2025, followed by 376 calls in Cork, 165 in Tipperary, 120 calls in Donegal and 112 in Waterford.
CRITICAL’s mission is to save lives through its growing network of volunteer emergency medical responders. The Limerick headquartered charity has more than 300 responders active across Ireland who are alerted to life-threatening emergencies by the National Ambulance Service. This includes doctors and consultants equipped with emergency response vehicles and high-tech equipment; Community First Responder (CFR) groups; as well off-duty paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs).
Dr Keith Kennedy, a specialist in emergency medicine, joined CRITICAL in July and has volunteered to respond to more than 80 incidents in South County Dublin and surrounding areas during his first six months with the organisation. New CFR groups have also been established in Balbriggan in Dublin and Ennis as well as Youghal and Douglas in Cork. Community First Responders are local volunteers trained to provide immediate, life-saving medical care in the vital minutes before an ambulance arrives
David Tighe, CEO of CRITICAL charity said, “Behind every one of these calls is a person having one of the worst days of their lives and a volunteer responder willing to step forward. A 54% increase in the number of calls is a clear indication of the demand on our emergency services and the impact our growing network of volunteers is having across the country. I am incredibly proud of our volunteers, they are doctors, paramedics, EMTs and Community First Responders, who give their time, skills and expertise to support their local communities. This year we plan to launch new CFR groups in Kilkenny, Clare, Tipperary and Cork. We receive no Government funding and rely on public donations to provide and expand our life- saving services.”
