Charity-funded air ambulance called to almost 400 missions this year

The service has launched a charity fundraiser for support, with missions costing an average of €3,500 per call-out

Irish Community Air Ambulance Pilot Tony McAleer with children from St Brendan's National School, Rathcoole at the start of a fundraising campaign as part of International Air Ambulance Week. Picture: Brian Lougheed

A charity-funded air ambulance service has launched 388 times in the first eight months of the year.

That comes at an average cost of €3,500 per mission, according to the Irish Community Air Ambulance (ICAA), which has launched a fundraising campaign as part of International Air Ambulance Week.

July was one of the air ambulance's busiest months to date; crews were tasked to 57 separate incidents in eight counties at a cost of almost €200,000.

Deirdre Ormond’s 41-year-old son Paul was milking cows when he was attacked by a bull last month; he suffered serious injuries and was airlifted from the family farm near Clonmel to hospital in Cork by the ICAA.

“Paul has no recollection of what happened but it's believed the bull went for him as he went to bring in a line of cows," Ms Ormond said. 

"The bull’s dead weight was 460kgs, which meant that his live weight was over 900kgs. He was a huge bull, Paul was lucky he wasn’t killed. 

We are eternally grateful to the emergency services. The helicopter was here within 20 minutes, it’s unbelievable

"The local paramedics told me that the helicopter would be in Cork with a team ready to work on Paul before they would be back in Clonmel," she said.

"I am surprised that the Air Ambulance has to be funded by donations. Every single rural organisation should be funding that helicopter service.” 

The Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) works in partnership with the National Ambulance Service and is ready to respond to serious incidents and medical emergencies from its base in Rathcoole in north Cork seven days a week.

Micheál Sheridan, CEO of ICAA, says they bring hope when it’s needed most.

"Over the last two years, we have been tasked to more than 1,000 missions which proves that our organisation is a vital life-changing service," Mr Sheridan said. 

"Our crews have brought the most seriously injured and sickest patients to the hospital that best suits their life-saving needs." 

The question is though, what would have happened if there was no Air Ambulance to respond to these emergencies?

The ICAA is on track to complete more than 500 missions this year and is predicting a 10% increase in call-outs this year. 

Cork and Kerry are the counties most likely to require the service however, the Air Ambulance is regularly called to Limerick, Tipperary, Clare, Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, and Wicklow, and sometimes as far away as Galway and Mayo.

Incidents range from road traffic collisions, cardiac arrests, and farming accidents, to equestrian incidents, and falls from heights.

• For more information about the service, or to make a donation directly visit communityairambulance.ie. You can also donate €4 by texting FLIGHT to 50300