‘Air Ambulance saved my son after he was attacked by a bull’

SCHOOLS and businesses are being asked to support International Air Ambulance Week by wearing red or yellow and making a donation on Friday, September 10th, or any day during the month of September.

Each of the missions carried out by the Irish Community Air Ambulance costs an average of €3,500, all of which has to be raised by the organisation which has charitable status.

With the number of taskings continuing to increase, every euro counts. In the first eight months of this year, the helicopter was launched 388 times and this July was its busiest as crews were tasked to 57 incidents in eight counties at a cost of almost €200,000.

Clonmel woman Deirdre Ormond came forward to lend her support to the Irish Community Air Ambulance’s fundraising campaign as part of International Air Ambulance Week by highlighting how it saved the life of her son Paul, who was milking cows when he was attacked by a bull and sustained serious injuries.

‘It was unbelievable. The helicopter was here within 20 minutes,’ said Deirdre. ‘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.’

Another thing that Deirdre said she could not believe is the fact that the Irish Community Air Ambulance – which is Ireland’s first and only charity-funded air ambulance – relies on donations to operate the service.

As someone who is ‘eternally grateful to the emergency service,’ she said she would encourage others to visit the website, communityairambulance.ie, to make a donation.

‘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,’ according to Micheál Sheridan, CEO of the organisation.’

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.