Air ambulance emergency service has made "an incredible difference"

Having been set up a decade ago on a trial basis, the work of the Athlone-based Emergency Aeromedical Service (EAS) has made "an incredible difference" to the lives of countless families around the country, according to Brig Gen Rory O’Connor, head of the Irish Air Corps.

Speaking at a special celebration at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel on Wednesday afternoon to mark the tenth anniversary of the service which is colloquially known simply as ‘the air ambulance,’ Brig Gen O’Connor attributed the success of the project to the "hard work, dedication and professionalism" of the entire team who operate the service, comprising personnel from the Defence Forces, Air Corps and National Ambulance Service.

Over the past ten years, the EAS has responded to over 5,000 tasks and has airlifted 3,500 patients from all over Ireland from its base in Custume Barracks, where it has been operating since its inception. The EAS crew on board the Air Corps 112 helicopter comprises five Air Corps personnel (two pilots,one crewman and two technicians) and one National Ambulance Service Advanced Paramedic.

Under clear blue skies and in balmy summer temperatures in Baldonnel last week, many of the team behind the life-saving service mingled with grateful families who have been at the receiving end of the dedication and professionalism referred to by the head of the Air Corps, and who owe their very lives to this vital service.

Approximately 50 personnel have been given the opportunity to work on the air ambulance service over the past 10 years, and one of these is advanced paramedic Brendan Whelan who lives in Clonsast, Bracknagh, and has been with the service for the past eight years. In his current role as training officer to Air Corps 112, he provides clinical training to the paramedics on board, and he is also the training officer for the national ambulance service (NAS) in the Midlands region.

"In most cases we do make a positive difference, but in some cases, despite our best efforts, patients unfortunately succumb to their injuries," he says. "We only attend very acute calls like heart attacks, major trauma incidents or very ill patients, so it is always a high-stress environment, but it is a wonderful opportunity to make a difference."

Although he is primarily based in Tullamore, Brendan Whelan, who is flight rated for the Air Corps aircraft, completes regular shifts with the service in Athlone and manages to spend "at least one day a week" on board the air ambulance as a means of keeping his skills current. "For me the days of training people and not actually doing the job myself are long gone - it's important to have credibility and the only way to establish that is to do the job yourself" he says.

With the air ambulance travelling at speeds of "two miles per minute in a straight line" Brendan Whelan says it can really make "a critical difference" to patients facing an acute medical emergency, and he regards it as "a great privilege" to have been given the opportunity to work with the service.

Despite the fact the he has had "many positives" throughout his career with the NAS, he says his fondest memories will be his involvement with Air Corps 112. "There is tremendous job satisfaction and I still get a buzz out of it eight years later, we are such a tight unit and I still look out the window of the helicopter sometimes when I am on a mission and smile to myself and say ‘I can’t believe I do this job’ I know I get paid for it, but I’d do it for nothing as it is about much more than the money," he says.

Another member of the NAS who derives great satisfaction from his job with the air ambulance service is Alan Bermingham from Tullamore who now lives in Clara. "I love the job, but it can be very challenging," admits the advanced paramedic who is one of four supervisors based in Athlone ambulance station, and has been working as part of the air ambulance crew for the past three years.

Having worked in the fire service before becoming a paramedic, Alan says he is accustomed to dealing with trauma, but he acknowledges that is it "heartbreaking for the crew" when they are "not given the option" to get the result they want. Working on the basis of an eight week roster, he spends four weeks on board the air ambulance, working 12-hour shifts for four days in a row, before spending the other four weeks working in one of the land ambulances in the Athlone ambulance station.

The father of two grown-up children and three grandchildren says he joined the air ambulance service because he wanted to "perform at the highest level" and use his complete skillset to assist patients in acute medical emergencies. "The EAS gives you that in spades," he says. "I get great satisfaction and there is a fantastic bond between the whole crew, I absolutely love the job."