Athlone-based air ambulance hits TV screen
The Athlone-based air ambulance service will be the focus of a special episode of the new TV3 series 'Paramedics' this evening (Wednesday).
For the episode, which airs at 8.30pm, TV3 gained unprecedented access on board the National Aeromedical Service; Air Corps 112, based in Custume Barracks.
In a first for Irish television, TV3 steps on board the air ambulance, which responds to calls across the entire island of Ireland.
The AW139 Helicopter is provided and flown by the Irish Air Corps and staffed by an Advanced Paramedic from the National Ambulance Service.
The show met Air Ambulance Advanced Paramedic Paul Traynor who explained: 'We’re based in Athlone due to the fact that it’s the centre of the country. Once we launch from Athlone, we’re 45-55 minutes to get anywhere in the country.
'There are lots of parts of Ireland that are quite rural and difficult for the ground ambulances to get to patients.
'The beauty of the Aeromedical Service is that we can fly direct to the scene and from there we can have a patient (for example) from Belmullet to Galway in 30 minutes, which would take over 2.5 hours to drive.”
On the show, viewers will see Paul and the crew of Air Corps 112 in action as they respond to a call from an elderly woman who has fallen from a bench in a remote location in County Wicklow.
With the ambulance a good distance away, and the patient in excruciating pain and suffering serious breathing difficulties, Air Corps 112 is the first on the scene, travelling across counties in just 14 minutes.
The show also follows trainee Paramedic David as he progresses from the classroom to emergency calls.
On David’s first call out however, he comes face to face with the reality of the job, when he and the crew respond to a call of a disorientated man living in distressingly poor conditions.
David must overcome the obstacles to treat the patient, and get to the bottom of exactly what has happened to the man.
The all-new ‘Paramedics’ airs this evening at 8.30pm on TV3.