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IT WILL be a case of look to the skies in Killarney tomorrow morning when the Irish Community Air Ambulance (ICAA) arrives in town. The signature red craft will touch down in Fitzgerald Stadium at approximately 10.30am as part of a 10-day promotion organised by the ICAA as it introduces its Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS), a vital life-saving air support service to Munster and south Leinster, which takes off later this year.

The HEMS helicopter is a mobile intensive care unit staffed by a team of highly qualified and specially trained trauma doctors who can be on site in the fastest time possible providing life-saving treatment at the incident site. “It is an undisputed fact that in the aftermath of a major incident or accident timing is key and that outcomes are greatest when treatment can begin within the first hour, the ‘golden hour’,” stated the ICAA.

The Irish Community Air Ambulance service, which will be based out of Cork Airport, will mirror successful models across the United Kingdom and other countries in Europe where geographically challenging terrain warrants an air ambulance. It is hoped that more than €1million can be raised to launch the service in 2017. Irish Community Air Ambulance will complement the existing emergency services and the current Athlone based Emergency Aeromedical Service operated by the National Ambulance Service in partnership with the Irish Air Corps.

It has been proven that early access to world-class critical care and pre hospital emergency medicine administered by trained, experienced and equipped medical personnel can save lives. The air ambulance service will offer gold standard care commencing at the roadside and continuing while en route to definitive care in hospital.

Speaking of the service, John Kearney, co-founder of Irish Community Air Ambulance, said: "People are dying unnecessarily due to the time it takes to receive critical care. This new service will be built on the already successful model of Irish Community Rapid Response (ICRR) which has been in existence since 2009 and uses volunteer doctors for pre-hospital emergencies. There are currently five Level 4 clinicians and over 100 GPs with Irish Community Rapid Response who have saved countless lives and improved care in its nine years in operation. The launch of a community air ambulance service is the next step bringing better response times with permanent on-duty doctors who will have the ability to bring advanced skills to acutely ill and injured people throughout its catchment area.”

The service will offer a mobile intensive care unit by air which will allow the air ambulance to safely transport patients faster to a major hospital, saving time and lives. “This is a service for the Munster and south Leinster, and we need the support of the people to donate, fundraise or volunteer for us. We need to raise €1 million to take off and €2 million every year thereafter which is a huge ask but in our view is achievable,” said John.

“Communities around the country have sustained our land-based Irish Community Rapid Response doctors and now we’re calling on the people in Ireland to support this initiative. We can be successful by raising just €2 per person per year!

“This is a much needed and necessary service that will impact all those of us who live, work and travel in the coverage areas but it can only succeed with the support of every member of the community. This can be done by visiting our website (http://communityairambulance.ie/) and donating anything you can or by holding an event such as a coffee morning, a car wash or even a concert. We have a wide range of fundraising ideas and are happy to support them.”

John added: “If you’d like to help us lift off please text FLIGHT to 50300 to donate €4 to the Irish Community Air Ambulance.”

The Irish Community Air Ambulance team is traveling to every county in Munster and south Leinster over the next ten days to raise awareness of this much needed life saving service and will visit every town in the over the next six months in a bid to raise much needed funds.
 

 
On its way to Killarney: The Irish Community Air Ambulance. PICTURE: ICAA