The Irish Community Air Ambulance has responded to the highest number of road traffic collisions in a single month since the organisation first launched. The Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Air Ambulance was tasked to 15 separate crashes during May.
The increase in crashes has pushed the number of call outs for the helicopter up by 14% when compared to April. The service is also facing increasing fuel costs. For this reason, and to support the expansion of its ground-based Volunteer Doctor service, the Irish Community Air Ambulance has launched a major fundraising drive with support from RTE presenter John Creedon.
The helicopter responded to 205 incidents in the first five months of this year. There were 48 taskings in May alone, up from 42 during April. The call outs during May also included six farming or equestrian incidents. Cork accounted for one in four of the calls followed by Kerry, Tipperary, Clare, Waterford, Wexford, Limerick and Carlow. In total, 17 people were airlifted to hospitals in Cork and Limerick during May.
The Irish Community Air Ambulance is inviting people to host an event of their choosing during the month of July.
Head of Community and Donor Engagement, Lorraine Toner explains, “We’re asking people to use their imaginations for ‘Brew for the Crew’. It can be as simple as having a few friends over for a cuppa, hosting a BBQ or even holding a street party. It is really easy to register on our website and we will send you a kit with everything you need. Our crews are on duty every single day of the year and this event is about raising a glass or cup to say thank you as well as raising vital funds for our organisation.”
