People who donated to the Air Ambulance and representives of businesses who donated, at the unveiling of the Air Ambulance NI at Enniskillen Airport. Back from left, Peter Quinn, Brian Keys (MD Severfield), Myrtle Irvine, George Irvine, Ian Crowe, Evelyn Thompson. Front, Jenny Knox, Jenny McHugh, Rosemary Breen, Iris Mahon (President of Tamlaght Women’s Institute), Adeline Lee and Rodney Connor
ENNISKILLEN could be in the running as the base for one of only two new air ambulances serving the whole of Northern Ireland.
One of the new air ambulance made a flying visit to Enniskillen Airport on while on a three day tour of the region. It is thought that the vital service which should be airborne by the new year, could save up to 50 lives each year.
One of the new air ambulances will be based at Belfast International Airport, and will reach any part of the North within 25 minutes. The permanent base of the second air ambulance is yet to be confirmed and Enniskillen’s St Angelo Airport could be in the running.
According to John McClintock, Northern Ireland Ambulance Station officer, the North is the only region of Ireland or Britain that does not have an air ambulance service and he is convinced that it is a key component in the future of emergency heath care here.
“This is without a doubt the future of healthcare, and of emergency services. Every age group, babies, children, adults and the elderly, will all benefit from this service. This is state of the art care that Northern Ireland has not had for a long time and now we are moving forward, which is great.”
“In the past we have had access to other services, such as the Police, the military and the Coastguard and now this is us taking a huge step forward and realising that this is an essential asset to complement the ground troops of the ambulance service.”
Local trustee of the Northern Ireland Air Ambulance, Rodney Connor, believes that this is a step forward for those who live in rural areas.
“Everybody appreciates the need for this service, especially those of us who live so far away from the trauma centres in rural areas. Everyone knows about the golden hour and the quicker a patient can get to a facility with specialised healthcare, the better. It will without a doubt will be a great benefit to us all.”
Councillor Raymond Farrell attended the event at the airport, and believes that Enniskillen Airport would be a suitable place for the second base, but this decision is expected within the next few weeks.
“I have campaigned for the addition of the Air Ambulance, and as a Councillor it is important to see improvements in healthcare.
A great deal of credit should go to the late Dr John Hinds as he campaigned too see the service become a reality. We have good infrastructure here in terms of our airport and everything is in place to make Enniskillen a good choice for the second base.”
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