Emergency response - Ring-fence key resources

IT would be hard to exaggerate the importance of the emergency services that save lives virtually every day up and down the country.

The people who operate such vital facilities as the ambulance service, fire brigades and other crucial operations play an invaluable role.

That lends weight to yesterday’s report from HIQA calling on Health Minister Mary Harney to introduce measures to further cut the response time in life-threatening emergencies to within eight minutes.

This scenario also lends urgency to getting a long- promised Air Ambulance Ireland service off the ground in collaboration with a successful operation in Wales.

In a climate where finance for crucial services are being slashed — the Garda battle against organised crime being the latest victim — it is essential that vital resources be ring-fenced to ensure that ambulance and other facilities that give the community security of mind are not just ticking over but are actually improved.