Page 7 - Fire Services Journal 2018

FIREFIGHTER SAVES BROTHER’S LIFE BY DONATING KIDNEY
NATIONAL NEWS
A fourth-generation firefighter from Galway donated his kidney in order to save his brother’s life. Ger Dolan (27), who works at Anglesea St Fire Station in Cork, made the heroic decision to help his older brother Jimmy (32) whom suffered irreversible damage to his kidneys in 2013 after a virus called vasculitis attacked the man’s organs.
In the aftermath, Jimmy Dolan was required to go for regular dialysis treatments. He was fighting for his life.
Ger secretly contacted Dublin’s Beaumount Hospital in October 2016 in order to begin finding out if he would be a suitable donor.
Fast forward to Stephen’s Day of the same year, Ger announced to the Dolan’s, as they sat around a table eating breakfast, of his decision.
The brother’s had a successful living donor transplant operation in March 2017 at Beaumont Hospital. The Dolan brother’s shared their story in light of Organ Donor Awareness Week 2018, which ran from March 31st to April 7th and was organised by the Irish Kidney Association.
At present, there are approximately 550 people in Ireland awaiting life-saving transplants and thanks to the gift of organ donation almost 3,500 people in this country are enabled to live longer.
CORK-BASED FIREFIGHTER GER DOLAN CREDIT: JOHN ALLEN
GER DOLAN (SECOND FROM THE LEFT) AT PASSING OUT PARADE IN CORK IN 2014 WITH BROTHER JIMMY (RIGHT) AND PROUD PARENTS MARIE AND FRANKIE
CREDIT: JOHN ALLEN
CORK-BASED FIREFIGHTER GER DOLAN (LEFT) WITH BROTHER JIMMY (RIGHT)
CREDIT: JOHN ALLEN
DUBLIN FIRE BRIGADE RECEIVED ALMOST 100 LESS EMERGENCY CALLS ON GOOD FRIDAY 2018
Dublin Fire Brigade confirmed recently that 100 less emergency 999/112 emergency calls were processed for Good Friday 2018 in comparison to last year.
Good Friday this year marked the first time pubs were legally allowed to open to the public and serve alcohol since the Intoxicating Liquor Act, ruled almost a century ago, the banning of selling alcohol on this day.
In a statement, a DFB spokesperson confirmed that the number of calls processed through its regional control centre received a total of 379 calls for Good Friday 2018, opposed to processing 465 calls on Good Friday last year.
A DFB spokesperson said:
"A lot of call-outs are alcohol related. We
normally see a lot of house parties and drinking on Good Friday.
"We were 100 calls down on last year. We haven't done a detailed analysis of that, and that could take some time, but it's good news so far."
DUBLIN FIRE BRIGADE
FireServicesJournal 7