Vol. 500 No. 7
118 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the reason IMES did not alert the Air Corps and there was a delayed rescue attempt recently off Kinsale of a skipper of a fishing vessel; the procedures when IMES did alert the Air Corps; and the procedures now in place to ensure that this does not happen again. [4944/99]
This question refers to the medical evacuation of a fisherman with an eye injury from the MFV Nozdie on 21 January 1999. I do not consider that the evacuation was delayed though this allegation was made in inaccurate media reports following the incident.
In medical evacuation situations at sea the Irish Marine Emergency Service, IMES, gives priority to speedy delivery of on scene first aid, life saving, en route support and provision of professional medical attention as soon as possible.
In this particular incident, IMES called out Courtmacsherry Lifeboat as this was the quickest way to get medical attention to the injured fisherman. It was also the quickest way to get the casualty to professional medical attention ashore as a doctor and ambulance was arranged, by IMES, to meet the Lifeboat on its arrival ashore.
The Courtmacsherry LB is a Trent Class with a 25kt speed and its estimated time of arrival, ETA, to the scene of the incident was calculated at 37 minutes.
ETA's are calculated on the basis of response times plus the fastest speed capability of the various emergency response resources. ETA to the scene of the incident for the marine emergency service helicopter from Shannon Airport was 54 minutes and for the Air Corps helicopter from Waterford Airport was 55 minutes.
The Air Corps helicopter was on the ground at Waterford Airport when the incident commenced for the Marine Rescue Control Centre, MRCC, Dublin. It had earlier that morning carried out training flights in the Waterford area.
As Kinsale was closer to Cork Hospital and 11 nautical miles from the scene, it was decided to land the causalty there and a doctor met the Courtmacsherry Lifeboat on arrival. The casualty was immediately treated by the doctor and subsequently transported by ambulance to hospital in Cork.
