Charity ambulance providing backup

The charity air ambulance service launched this year says services won’t be affected in Cork as it helps the state run air ambulance which is undergoing a staff shortage.

Irish Community Rapid Response’s (ICRR) back-up helicopter is to provide assistance to the country’s other air ambulance service, it confirmed on Tuesday, which operates out of Athlone and will cease flights for four days each month until February.

ICRR said it was contacted about the use of its relief helicopter and a pilot to assist current challenges at the Athlone base.

Under the agreement, with the HSE National Ambulance Service (NAS), ICRR will provide its back-up helicopter and a pilot four days per month for the next four months to help address training requirements.

ICRR’s Chief Operations Officer Lynda Stopford welcomed the opportunity to assist the Air Corps and reassured communities in the south of the county that this would not affect their new full-time service.

She said: “The new emergency service and model in Cork is working very well and we are delighted to be able to provide our expertise to assist the Defence Forces. A separate agreement to provide this will be reached with the HSE.”

The ICRR Air Ambulance service is based near Millstreet and commenced operations at the end of July. The ICRR Air Ambulance is run in partnership between the charity and the HSE NAS who tasks the service through 112/999 calls to its National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) and provides the medical crew. However, in the Cork service, the helicopter, pilots, air-base and fuel are charity rather than State funded.

“Our service is working very well and being tasked every day. However, public support is critical to sustain it into the long-term, and we are appealing for strong public and corporate support,” she said.