Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome that 12 new recruits will be coming to the north-west region. The current situation could not be allowed to continue because it is neither acceptable nor safe. I have previously raised the first responder scheme in the House because it makes sense to roll it out in the north west. Fire fighters in Dublin are trained to paramedic level, meaning that paramedics are available 24-7. This should also be the case in the regions. Last year, vital discussions on this issue took place between the National Ambulance Service and the national directorate for fire and emergency management. I welcome the information provided by the Minister of State in that regard.

The capacity review published in 2016 indicated that community first responder schemes are a practical way to improve first response times in rural areas. I acknowledge that the Minister of State mentioned such schemes and I welcome that they are being considered.

With 12 new recruits being assigned to the area, it is important that a second ambulance be based in Carrick-on-Shannon in light of the demand in the area for services. As the population of the county is widely dispersed and because the ambulance based in Carrick-on-Shannon may be called upon to provide services to nearby centres such as Monaghan and, in particular, Mullingar, possibly to cover for an ambulance which may have been moved to Dublin, it is crucial that a second unit be based in Carrick-on-Shannon in the future.

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