Ireland’s first emergency aeromedical service airlifts 3,000th patient
In a milestone moment, Ireland’s national ambulance service in Athlone has lifted its 3,000th patient
In June 2012, the Department of Health and the HSE’s National Ambulance Service (NAS) launched the first Emergency Aeromedical Service (EAS) in Custume Barracks, Athlone, Ireland.
The service, a joint project between the Department of Health, the HSE and the Defence Forces, means that National Ambulance Service advanced paramedics now have the assistance of a dedicated military helicopter for the rapid transfer of critical patients to the most appropriate hospital.
The service has become a vital asset in the region
Initially set up for a 12-month trial period, the aim was to assess the level and type of dedicated helicopter emergency medical service required in Ireland in light of recent closures of regional facilities such as Roscommon Hospital.
Since its inception in 2012, it has become a vital asset in terms of critical pre-hospital care and has recently airlifted its 3000th patient.
The EAS helicopter crew consists of both Defence Forces personnel and an NAS advanced paramedic, who remain on immediate call to the National Aeromedical Co-ordination Centre seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Known by its callsign ‘Aircorps112’, reflecting its military and medical nature, the number 112 highlights the standard European emergency contact number.
Flying with a Leonardo AW139 helicopter
‘AirCorps112’ is a Leonardo AW139 twin‐engine, multi‐role helicopter, flown with a crew of two pilots and a crewman. When configured for EAS, it can accommodate an array of medical equipment, including oxygen, suction and defibrillator, several attending medics and a patient.
The AW139 can travel at 315 kilometers per hour, allowing ‘AirCorps112’ to reach anywhere in the country, and deliver patients to an appropriate hospital in minutes.
In addition to the EAS, the Defence Forces have provided an inter‐hospital air ambulance service to the State since the 1960s, which has carried out thousands of missions, utilizing both its fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, which operate from Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel.