Air Corps air ambulance

[Rhodes]

Air Ambulance Service completes over 100 missions

Independent TD Denis Naughten said today that there is a need for the establishment of a national helicopter emergency service.

THE AIR AMBULANCE Service based out of Custume Barracks in Athlone has performed over 100 missions since the service was established last June.

Today Independent TD Denis Naughten said that the frequency of call-outs clearly highlights the importance of this service to communities throughout the midlands and west.

“It again highlights the need for the establishment of a national helicopter emergency service which could transport patients directly from the scene of an accident to a major trauma centre.

Naughten said such a service can support smaller hospital facilities by ensuring that patients who would more appropriately be treated in major regional centres can access the specialist treatment in a timely manner.

Alan Shatter has said that the government intends to review the operation of the air ambulance service in the first half of 2013 and Naughten said he hopes that the service will be enhanced and expanded through the use of a second helicopter based at another location.

http://www.thejournal.ie/air-ambulance-service-completes-over-100-missions-716502-Dec2012/

[Tadpole]

Thats a great run of missions that no doubt have helped a lot of people. Certainly shows the requirement for an Air Ambulance service.

[The real Jack]

Thats a great run of missions that no doubt have helped a lot of people. Certainly shows the requirement for an Air Ambulance service.

No its shows the service was used, whether or not it was worth the expense over stationing 2 ambo crews title probably the same cost cannot be determined from that article. How many if these 100 flights were actually critical patients?

[Tadpole]

So what are you saying Real Jack? It shows a need, but capable of being for filled by other then the Mil sector?
God forbid that should happen............. its only happened in Shannon, Dublin, Sligo and Waterford before.......

[Pure Hover]

Yeah and we all know what that's costing and going to cost the State - Happy New Year Noel! The HSE/NAS seem to be more careful with their schillings and I don't think will be as keen to travel the private sector road apart from the fact there's the small matter of a €250 million overrun at the moment. Small wonder that there's a significant increase in Air Corps AA activity and quite a demand for the Athlone service. Be interseting to see where it will go from here.

[Helihead]

Small wonder that there's a significant increase in Air Corps AA activity and quite a demand for the Athlone service.

Just as a matter of interest, was the above service available 25th, 26th, 27th of this month?

[Pure Hover]

Don't see why it wouldn't have been unless you know different?

[danno]

No its shows the service was used, whether or not it was worth the expense over stationing 2 ambo crews title probably the same cost cannot be determined from that article. How many if these 100 flights were actually critical patients?

Seems as if the AC isnt the only show in town for Airambo,its up on the DoT(maritime)site that the CG are now in league with the HSE providing heli amb ops with the Shannon unit (100 ops in 2012 same as AC) and are expanding to the NW this year with the Sligo unit.Wonder if the AC forced the CG's hand in the matter.

[Goldie fish]

Seems as if the AC isnt the only show in town for Airambo,its up on the DoT(maritime)site that the CG are now in league with the HSE providing heli amb ops with the Shannon unit (100 ops in 2012 same as AC) and are expanding to the NW this year with the Sligo unit.Wonder if the AC forced the CG's hand in the matter.

CG helis don't have the same equipment fit as AC helis doing air ambulance.

[Helihead]

Seems as if the AC isnt the only show in town for Airambo,its up on the DoT(maritime)site that the CG are now in league with the HSE providing heli amb ops with the Shannon unit (100 ops in 2012 same as AC) and are expanding to the NW this year with the Sligo unit.Wonder if the AC forced the CG's hand in the matter.

Probably the other way around. I believe Shannon did close to 90 SAR missions on top of the 100 AA missions inc HEMS missions ( nobody else doing those at the mo). I believe it was always the plan to roll it out with the introduction of the 92's across the 4 IRCG bases. That's the reason certain people were getting hot under the collar about the new IRCG SAR contract and throwing their dummies out of the pram, so to speak.
Anyway, that's all behind us now, isn't it. So, when complete, the country will have 4x 92 HEMS approved helos based around the coast with an IAC helo operating from the midlands. That's pretty much all of the country well covered.

[Brian McGrath]

Living close to Galway Hospital the number of times that the 139 has been in there is unreal, there is hardly a day goes by that they dont come in, before Christmas they came in four times in the one day, its a fantastic service and well done to the crews involved.

As a matter of interest would Galway be the busiest pad in the Country for helicopters, between the Coastguard and Air Corps its nearly non stop.

[Goldie fish]

Hard to say, many of the other hosptals dealing with casualties from Helis do not have their own helipad.

[The real Jack]

Living close to Galway Hospital the number of times that the 139 has been in there is unreal, there is hardly a day goes by that they dont come in, before Christmas they came in four times in the one day, its a fantastic service and well done to the crews involved.

As a matter of interest would Galway be the busiest pad in the Country for helicopters, between the Coastguard and Air Corps its nearly non stop.

The 139 might have been delivering santa on one of those occasions :D

[Pure Hover]

Don't know if the details on that DoT website are accurate. It was the AC that launched the new EAS not the IRCG as the website proclaims and the 100 ops probably refers to IAC EAS missions. I am of course open to correction!

[danno]

Don't know if the details on that DoT website are accurate. ...........

Thats one way to put it.