HSE spent €22m on ambulances prone to fires

THE HSE spent over €22 million at the height of the economic boom on a fleet of Mercedes ambulances, a number of which inexplicably caught fire.

Figures obtained by the Irish Examiner show that between 2006 and 2008, the health authority spent the massive sum on 167 specialist Mercedes Sprinter model ambulances for use across the country.

The vehicles, which were all built in 2006 by the Mercedes Benz firm and amount to just over a third of the 480 ambulances in Ireland, were considered to be a vital step towards upgrading existing emergency call-out services.

However, despite the claim, in January the HSE was forced to temporarily take all 167 of the expensive vehicles off the road for safety inspections after four ambulance engines inexplicably went on fire, one while carrying a patient.

The first of the incidents is understood to have occurred in Portlaoise, Co Laois, at the start of 2008. Three further incidents have been reported since December. The most serious of these involved an ambulance which caught fire while carrying a patient at the K-Club in Co Kildare over Christmas and another vehicle bursting into flames at Tulleskar, near Drogheda in Co Louth, in January.

Similar incidents involving the same type of vehicles were also reported in Wales during a two-week period in August 2008, but noaction was taken by the HSE until the incidents took place in Ireland.

Responding to a Freedom of Information request, a HSE national ambulance service spokesperson declined to confirm the exact cause of the faults as “investigations... are still ongoing, not all incidences may have yet been determined, and the causes of incidents have not yet been proven”.

However, the spokesperson did confirm that all 167 vehicles are continuing to be used for emergency ambulance services.

The HSE, which had previously declined to reveal the cost of the vehicles, has stated that, if the fault proves to be commonplace, all of the vehicles will be permanently removed, with contingency plans including sub-contracting private ambulances, being considered.

Labour health spokeswoman Jan O’Sullivan said the cost was another indication of the lack of financial sense within the health service.

“It’s hard to believe this country gave out that kind of money without guarantees on the ambulances.

“If there is any risk of a fault they should be automatically replaced. It’s not OK to take even a small risk with this type of equipment.”

While the chassis on the Irish vehicles are provided by Mercedes Benz, the bodies of the ambulances are built by a sub-contracted German company.

The ambulances conform to guidelines issued by the Commission for European Normality, which came in to effect on January 1, 2004.