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DESPITE the whirling wind and driving rain, all eyes were trained on the skies over Killarney yesterday as the Irish Community Air Ambulance (ICAA) arrived in town.

The signature red craft touched down in Fitzgerald Stadium a 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.
The Irish Community Air Ambulance service, which will be based out of Cork Airport, will mirror successful models across Europe. 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.

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.”

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,” said John.

Check out the website http://communityairambulance.ie/. “We have a wide range of fundraising ideas and are happy to support them,” added John. “If you’d like to help us lift off please text FLIGHT to 50300 to donate €4 to the Irish Community Air Ambulance.”
 

 
Pictured above: Members of Killarney Order of Malta, Mayor of Kerry Michael O'Shea, Mayor of Killarney Brendan Cronin, Cllr John Sheahan and Cllr Michael Gleeson at the Irish Community Air Ambulance (ICAA) arrival at Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney on Thursday morning.
PICTURE: EAMONN KEOGH