Page 27 - Signal Summer 2018
P. 27

| EMERGENCY RESPONSE |




          Improvisation in action. The view                     Stranded ambulance fleet at Wexford
          from the cabin of the JCB that 2nd                    General Hospital. Photo: 2nd Lt P.Tobin.
          Lt Tobin travelled to Wexford in on
          the most severe day of the storm.
          Photo: 2nd Lt Patrick Tobin.





































       service, but with the ‘red’ warnings in place, neither of   all available plant and manpower were tasked to clear the
       these were an option. With dialysis patients requiring a   roads to the hospital. With the hospital as the main effort
       possible trip to the emergency room should they miss   (ME) and Wexford county council buildings nearby, the
       their appointments, they were of a high concern to the   National Ambulance Service (NAS) base in the hospital
       HSE, with the anticipated high demand of the ambulance   grounds was the only option for setting up a temporary
       service in the coming days meaning that their safety   base of operations while remaining in close coopera-
       could become a serious issue. Our 4x4s and drivers     tion with the local agencies via the Regional Emergency
       were accordingly tasked for this and we in Wexford RDF   Management Coordination Committee. Being co-located
       barracks headed home with our plans made for Friday.   with the NAS allowed us to coordinate our response more
                                                              efficiently. While initially our role was going to be patient
        Friday                                                and staff transfers, it was clear that the ambulances were
        On Friday morning, with conditions deteriorating rap-  becoming totally ineffective in these conditions and our
       idly, it was apparent we’d have an issue completing the   role would soon change to providing ambulance cover.
       plan. It soon dawned on us that there was now next to   In one instance I could see four ambulances stranded in
       no viable plan as three foot of snow with five foot drifts   the snow from the third floor offices of Wexford hospital.
       for most of County Wexford was not built into any existing   In liaison with the Operations Cell in Kilkenny and local
       plan. It looked like nothing was going to be moving. And if   liaison with the NAS and HSE it was decided to transfer
       we were to be any use to the people of Wexford, we were   necessary medical equipment to our 4x4s along with
       going to have to think outside the box.                their crews. All the while a 6x6 Scania ROPs was making
                                                              the long, slow journey from Kilkenny, eventually arriving
        I hitched a lift with a local plant hire contractor in his   4 and half hours later, it is normally an hour and a half
       JCB to Wexford as all other forms of transport were out   journey. With three Jeeps and a ROPs the taskings from
       of the question. Our troops had to be similarly imagina-  the Ambulance service that had been stacking up since
       tive in getting to work that morning. Though the experi-  early Friday morning were finally starting to be completed.
       ence of fitting chains in a real life scenario was new to   Chest pains, slips on ice, asthma attacks and ventilator
       our 4x4 drivers, they all managed it and made their way   failures due to power outages were all some of the issues
       to our new rendezvous point, Wexford General Hospital.   that required our response throughout the Friday and into
       Roads into Wexford Town were totally impassable and    the Saturday.


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