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A RESCUE HELICOPTER is being forced to land more than three kilometres from Donegal’s main hospital because of health and safety concerns at its helipad.
Members of the Irish Coastguard’s Rescue 118 team have expressed concerns over landing at Letterkenny University Hospital.
Instead, they have now made the decision to take casualties to an airfield on the outskirts of Letterkenny at Boangee.
The casualties must then be taken by ambulance through traffic to Letterkenny University Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department.
The move follows a health and safety inspection at the hospital’s helipad during which a number of issues of concern were highlighted.
It is understood the concerns include a number of malfunctioning lights as well as concerns over fire extinguishers and also the level training of staff operating in the vicinity of the helipad.
The health and safety inspection was ordered after a recent security breach at the helipad.
Management at the hospital are aware of the issue and it is understood they are working to rectify the various health and safety concerns.
The Rescue 118 helicopter crew have gone “offline” from the helipad at the hospital for a number of days and have brought a number of casualties to the Letterkenny Airstrip instead.
The most recent of these occurred on Tuesday afternoon when the helicopter was tasked to Errigal Mountain after a woman injured her leg after a fall.
Councillor Gerry McMonagle, a member of the HSE Regional Health Forum West said he was shocked by the health and safety concerns at the helipad.
He said “I am firstly shocked to hear that there are issues over such things as lights and also fire extinguishers at the helipad.
“The fact that the staff of the helicopter have decided not to land at the helipad at the hospital shows how seriously they are taking this issue.
“They have been left with no choice but to land three kilometres away and then have casualties taken by ambulance through one of Donegal’s busiest road networks, the four lane carriageway into Letterkenny.
“I’m just shocked that this has been allowed to happen.”
Councillor McMonagle added that he is urging hospital management to immediately address the health and safety concerns of the staff of the Rescue 118 helicopter so it can return to landing at the hospital.
“This has to be done immediately. Whatever issues there are have to be rectified as soon as possible. The welfare of patients and casualties has to be put first,” he added.
A spokesperson from the Department of Transport said CHC Helicopters, who operates the service, is working with the hospital to make corrective actions to issues found in the health and safety check.
The spokesperson added “Following a recent safety audit, CHC Helicopter (the operator of the Irish Coastguard helicopter service) has decided to temporarily suspend the use of the helicopter landing site at Letterkenny University Hospital.
“Services are currently being provided from an alternative helicopter landing site.
“CHC continues to liaise closely with the hospital authorities as they work through the corrective actions. It is anticipated that availability will be restored in the very immediate future.”
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Mr Burns
@Peter Igloo: Gas, always thought that myself
@I’m a robot Robot: Very well said,nothing ever said about the mugshots that the Gardai released.
The Journalists here need to look up the meaning in the dictionary of what it means to be a journalist,they are nothing but an extreme left propaganda machine.
@I’m a robot Robot:
The one thing I noticed about that article was how quickly the attack that sparked the riots was skipped over. Barely a mention of it. One of the little girls attacked isn’t that long out of hospital and has life changing injuries.
An absolute bullshit article about “white supremacists”, as you say plenty of non-whites joined in the looting that night.
@martin lawlor: extreme left propaganda machine? You need to grow up you absolute manchild.
Can you imagine what they will cook up between them given the history of failure and focus on silly stuff like mobile phone pockets in the past.
@Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: Irrelevant, they are in a position to form a government, and that’s what people voted for, whether it’s to your liking or not, there’s nothing any of us can do.
Harris is a man badly in need of a joint, might loosen him up a bit
@J B: both priceless and v funny
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: Leo was obviously at him lol
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: You’re dead right people saying cannabis drives you nuts cannabis does this cannabis does that. In my experience cannabis has seriously helped my medical conditions. Sad that I would be prescribed medical cannabis in the morning in a country where it’s legal but it’s still treated like heroin here. Please people do your own research on cannabis because the lies the government spreads is absolutely ridiculous and many medical professionals have agreed with me on this point. It helps so many people. It’s just another medication with positive and negative effects and there’s no reason it should be illegal considering it’s literally safer than alcohol and tobacco (search it up).
Totally correct photo of harris there, Mr. Muscle always on his phone. Dim phucker
@den: And yet got elected on the first count. It must eat you up that your opinion is worthless.
@J B: level 21.
Well at the end of the day Michael lowery will decide who the future government will be, its always great to have friends in low places Michael and Simon
When I see MM with his scrunched up face and those claws he call fingers he looks more like Lord Voldemort every time.
@Gerry Lamont: And he’s Toaiseach again and for longer, largest party too. Democracy baby don’t you just love it…..
Waiting for the swarm , but but but but….the electorate have chosen
@Paul O’Mahoney: Servile gimp, keep repeating your mantra like a good little simp.
@Freda Peeple: He sure is an awful goal, that’s for certain!
@Brian Hunt: “an awful goal”
@Freda Peeple: It’s not a mantra, it’s just facts. FF and FG will be the 2 main partners in the new Government. And childish name calling isn’t going to change that. Better get on with life if you can.
@Brian Hunt: ” Gowl ” ? The key to childish insults is getting the spelling correct as incorrect spelling nullifies the effect. You can name call all you wish, but the reality is FF and FG will form a government time to move on.
We will have to go back to the polls soon, all we’ve had so far is a near coalition, put together by a criminal
@MN: The formation of a government is the right of the elected TDs, and it’s part of our constitution. Whoever is part of that government or whoever supports that government is perfectly legal . It wouldn’t be the first time we had a government supported by dodgy people, Neil Blaney, for example, propped up FF in the 80s, Haughey got elected for decades and formed governments.
Whether people agree with the new government or not the electorate has chosen those who will form a new government. Those are the facts .
As for cannabis, they need to respect the Citizen’s Assembly outcome, how does Harris not get that, he’s a populist, nothing more and that makes him stu*id and dangerous!
“acorn savings account”, have you ever heard such , it was said to buy votes, fair enough, politicians can be safely considered liars but to stick with it now is just compounding stupidity
@Chutes: Shamrock Savings Scheme, ☘️ matures into the four leaf Clover after 5 years, the luck of the Irish………we are so lucky to have such wonderful leaders (Larry leprechauns)
@Chutes: From small Acorns do big fibs grow.
Danny Healy-Rae for agriculture. Lowry for justice.
“the next government will put infrastructure delivery under the spotlight, stating that no excuses for delays will be tolerated.”… we wait and see, I don’t think anything will happen, I think we’re incapable as a people, hopefully I’m proved wrong.
We don’t care as it doesn’t matter. The country is inefficiently run by our hopeless and corrupt “civil service:.
2 ends of the same c u n …t
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