With the summer 2021 heatwave having seen the Irish Community Air Ambulance tasked 21 times over eight days, the service is renewing its appeal to the agribusiness sector for support, as well as gearing up for a new fundraising initiative in association with Embrace Farm.
“July was our busiest month this year as we were tasked to a number of seaside locations following potential drownings, to deal with accidents involving jet skis, and some involving children on bikes and traffic collisions at a time when there were more people on the roads,” said Mícheál Sheridan, CEO, Irish Community Air Ambulance.
Up to June of this year, 17% of its taskings related to farm accidents.
“The primary causes relate to PTO accidents and machinery but you are also looking at animal related accidents involving bulls and cows, and falls from heights. These high acuity accidents can require transfer to major trauma centres and often the faster the transfer, the better the outcome,” Mícheál added.
“We are particularly aware that a lot of farmers are farming on their own and major trauma can have a serious impact on their lives and their incomes.”
Irish Community Air Ambulance
The Irish Community Air Ambulance Service, which was launched in July 2019 and operates 365 days a year in daylight hours, is wholly charity-funded.
“The only other HEMS Air Ambulance in Ireland is operated through the military, based in Athlone. Its primary tasking area is mainly the west, northwest and midland areas,” said Mícheál.
“Our primary tasking area is across Munster and surrounding counties which so far this year have included Wexford, Wicklow and Galway.
“We cover an area of 25,000km2 and a population of 1.4 million people. With our helicopter, we can reach any location within that 25,000km2 in under 25 minutes. We have the ability to fly from Mizen Head to Malin Head in 80 minutes, a journey that could take over eight hours by road,” he said.
The service is primarily tasked to towns, villages and rural areas that are a long distance from major hospitals or that have poor road networks and access. Once an emergency call is referred to the Community Air Ambulance service, the response is swift.
“It takes us three to four minutes to get into the air and our helicopter can travel at a speed of 300km per hour. The pilot is accompanied by a medical crew from the National Ambulance Service of two paramedics approximately 60% of the time and on the other occasions, by an advanced paramedic and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT),” said Mícheál .
“When we arrive on the scene, our primary objective is to treat and stabilise the patient to prepare them to be transferred to the most suitable hospital for their needs if that is what is required. If a patient is deemed well enough to travel by road, then they will be transferred by a National Ambulance Service ambulance.”
Serious incidents across Ireland
In 2020 the Irish Community Air Ambulance was tasked 490 times and Mícheál’s expectation is that it will be tasked over 500 times this year. Apart from farming accidents and road traffic accidents, the service deals with a range of other serious incidents.
“These can include traumatic crushings where people have been cutting trees at home; cardiovascular related strokes and STEMI heart attacks, which are the most serious type of heart attack and which require urgent transfer to hospital,” said the CEO.
“Over the past six to nine months, we have found that with the introduction of more specialist trauma centres, we are now bringing more children to these centres in Dublin and Cork. We are travelling further which is increasing our costs.
“Every tasking costs €3,500 which equates to a running cost for the organisation as a whole of €2 million. The projected cost of our Air Ambulance service this year is in the region of €1.55 million.
“Currently, we don’t receive any government funding, although we are in conversations with the government in relation to providing some support.
“Our fundraising has been seriously impacted by Covid-19 and that looks set to be ongoing. We are 100% reliant on donations from the general public and the corporate sector.
“In September, we will celebrate Air Ambulance Week and we have just launched a new virtual Facebook fundraising challenge ’60 Miles for Missions’ where people can sign up to complete 60 miles through sponsored running, walking or cycling during September,” he said.
Agribusiness sector
Recently, the service looked to the agribusiness sector for support
“This appeal is being driven by Colm Eustace, former CEO of Glanbia Agri Business and a trustee of our board. We are asking all companies in the agribusiness sector to realise the impact we are having on farming related incidents and to support us in that,” said Mícheál .
In a joint initiative with Embrace Farm in September, the Community Air Ambulance service will launch a farm family draw.
“We will be encouraging farm families and those living in rural Ireland to enter a monthly draw for €10 a month to win €1,000. The proceeds will be equally divided between Irish Community Air Ambulance and Embrace Farm,” Mícheál concluded.