A new initiative by a dedicated volunteer group who are concerned by the rise in road and farm accidents resulting in serious injuries and fatalities aims to procure a new state of the art Critical Emergency Medical Response Vehicle for West Waterford.
The Dungarvan based fundraising group, Rapid Response Vehicle West Waterford, aims to enhance emergency medical services in the region, ensuring advanced A+E emergency pre-hospital care is swiftly delivered throughout a mostly rural 100 square mile area.
The voluntary group intend to raise over €150,000 with the objective of procuring and operating a state-of-the-art emergency vehicle equipped with advanced medical facilities which would have the capacity to bring the A+E to the scene of an accident.
It will have cutting-edge equipment to facilitate efficient and effective emergency medical interventions carried out by a volunteer doctor and paramedics specially trained in emergency medicine.
The fundraising team has already commenced negotiations with a medical response charity who already have two emergency vehicles covering the eastern half of the county and once funds have been raised it is expected that County Waterford will be the first county in Ireland to be covered by three of these "Critical Emergency Medical Response Vehicles".
Attending the launch of the Critical Emergency Medical Response Vehicle fundraiser for West Waterford are from left to right, committee members Eunice Power, Edel Curry, Donnchadh Fahey, (paramedic and community first responder) Peter Burke, Michael Ryan and Peter Daly. Picture: David Keane.
Michael Ryan, Chairman and spokesperson for the ‘Rapid Response Vehicle for West Waterford’ group emphasised the critical impact of such initiatives, saying: "Our primary focus is to raise funds for the acquisition of this essential vehicle, which will undoubtedly make a profound difference in the lives of the people of West Waterford. This region is mostly rural with a lot of farmers working on their own and served by a predominantly poor road network. We have also seen an explosion of tourist numbers using our fabulous Copper Coast beaches and Greenway in the south of the region as well as more and more hikers exploring the scenic Comeragh Mountains in the north.”
He continued: “I myself had a cousin who lay unconscious on the ground for two hours from a brain bleed before an ambulance arrived to assist him and with a health and emergency system under increasing pressure we want to do our bit to alleviate it and ultimately save more lives. We are appealing to the public to help us raise funds for this very essential cause and donations can be made directly through the committee's fundraising page on Facebook, Instagram and website www.rapidresponsevehiclewestwaterford.com as well as our fundraising link https://www.gofundme.com/f/raise-for-rapid-response-vehicle-for-west-waterford . Any contribution, no matter the size, plays a crucial role in realizing this initiative and safeguarding the well-being of the community here in West Waterford."
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