Life-saver: the defibrillator on the wall of Tullow Men’s Shed. Photo for illustrative purposes only

DEFIBRILLATOR batteries will wear out even if they have not been used. That was the message from acting chief fire officer Liam Carroll when he advised community groups to ensure the lifesaving equipment was regularly checked.

The comments came on the back of an issue raised by Fine Gael’s Tommy Kinsella.

Cllr Kinsella said there had been an incident in Borris and the defibrillator had been “out of commission”.

Cllr William Patton, who is part of the community first responders, said they were aware of the issue and had received a quote. “We will deal with it as quickly as possible.”

Mr Carroll lauded the rollout of defibrillators by local groups as “excellent work and very well intentioned.”

However, he cautioned: “People should be conscious. They do need maintenance.”

Mr Carroll noted people could move on and off committees, but groups needed to be aware that batteries needed to be checked.

“Batteries will wear out even without use. It’s very important that they are kept an eye on, especially when committee members changed.”