Teenage road accident victim at centre of ambulance service blunder

ANN CASEY
Claims that Oldcastle Fire Brigade were told to turn back from an accident last Thursday night, despite the fact that an ambulance was at least 40 minutes away, has sparked an angry reaction.

Locals say a 17-year-old girl could have been left on the roadside for more than half an hour because of poor communication between emergency services.
Deputy Shane Cassells has heard Oldcastle Fire Brigade were told to turn back from an accident on the Millbrook Road on Thursday night as the ambulance was already at the scene. However, by the time the fire brigade got the call they were already looking after the girl and there was no sign of an ambulance.

In fact it took the ambulance, coming from Mullingar, 21 minutes to reach the scene after the fire brigade arrived.
'To have a situation where a fire crew in Oldcastle can assist a road traffic incident right beside their station and they are told not to attend while an ambulance has to come from a different county to assist is simply not logical,' he said.

 'What is even more shocking is that on this occasion the fire crew were informed there was no need for them to attend because an ambulance was already at the scene when in fact there was not.'

Commenting on the repeated incidents of fire crews not being dispatched to assist road traffic incidents, Cassells stated that a co-ordinated approach should be encouraged.
'The fact that there is no national framework or agreement for cross-mobilisation between the principal emergency services is shocking,' he remarked.
'I asked Minister Simon Coveney about this repeated situation of a lack of co-ordination in the Dáil and he replied that his main concern was 'making sure the fire services' resources are not diverted from their fire service responsibilities.''
'But the firefighters have been saying to me that they want to use their skills to help those in need,' he said.

Deputy Cassells (above) has been alerted to a number of other incidents.
He was told on 31st March Oldcastle Fire Brigade attended a cardiac arrest. The nearest available ambulance was over 30 minutes away at the time. It was a member of the public who rang for the Fire Service and the request was not from the National Ambulance Service.
On 3rd March there was an accident on the N2 just north of Kilmoon Cross.

'When the fire service arrived they were told that paramedics had requested the fire service three times before they eventually were mobilised. There was a woman who was trapped in a van. Cutting equipment had to be used. The firefighters on scene were talking to bystanders and they were told there was a long delay in the ambulance arriving and longer again by the time the fire service had arrived.'

Cllr Cassells was also told that on 16th February there was an accident in Ardbraccan. A doctor happened upon the RTC and stopped to assist and rang the ambulance service and requested all three emergency services, and was told they had been alerted. The initial call went into the ambulance control room at 23.41 but the fire service did not receive a call until midnight.
Cllr Cassells asked Minister Simon Coveney in the Dail to explain why Meath Fire Service were not being dispatched to assist the ambulance and paramedic services in County Meath.

In his response Minister Coveney said the feasibility of fire services being commissioned by the HSE to provide a response service in support of the NAS in responding to ECHO emergency calls is currently being discussed at national level at the Fire Services National Oversight and Implementation Group.
'It is important in such circumstances to ensure that local authority and fire services' resources are not diverted from their statutory fire service and fire safety responsibilities where they are providing assistance for another public body. The potential impact on the current Community First Responders schemes would also have to be assessed,' he said.

The Meath Chronicle was still awaiting a response from the National Ambulance Service at time of going to press.