Ambulance took hour to attend emergency

A man’s heart stopped four times while he waited more than an hour for an ambulance, according to activists campaigning for the retention of a 24-hour ambulance service in Skibbereen, Co Cork.

This was despite the fact that the response time to emergency calls should not exceed eight minutes, according to former fire officer Frank Fahy, who is also chair of WestCorkSOS, a group campaigning for Skibbereen to retain its around-the-clock ambulance service.

Mr Fahy claims that, on or about Aug 30, a call was received by ambulance control from Skibbereen to the effect that a man with severe chest pain required an ambulance immediately.