Life-saving service to continue in 2017

WICKLOW Rapid Response will be able to continue their voluntary pre hospital emergency critical care service in 2017 thanks to sponsorship offered by Sinnott Skoda.

The Wicklow town car dealership has renewed their sponsorship of Wicklow Rapid Response and last week handed over the keys to a 162-WW Skoda Yeti ‘Sherpa’ 4x4 for use by the Wicklow Rapid Response doctor.

Thanks to generous support from Sinnott Skoda, Wicklow Town, Wicklow Rapid Response, the voluntary pre hospital emergency critical care service is set to continue into 2017.

Over the past twelve months, the WWRR Doctor has voluntarily responded to over 170 calls throughout the whole county and beyond on behalf of the National Ambulance Service.

These included two paediatric cardiac arrests, 28 cardiac arrests (of which seven survived to hospital discharge), over 30 road traffic collisions, two multiple casualty incidents, two stabbings and one shooting.

Chairman, Colm Dempsey, said: ‘Wicklow Rapid Response is a voluntary organisation, which aims to provide near Intensive critical Care level treatment for our local communities in the pre-hospital environment, where there are life-threatening circumstances.

‘Our volunteer emergency medical doctor, who specialises in pre hospital emergency medicine, using the Skoda Yeti Rapid Response vehicle, to rapidly respond is declared as a National Ambulance Service asset. He is called simultaneously with the Ambulance, when a serious emergency occurs.’

In addition to responding rapidly due to being available in the community, the WWRR doctor is also able to bring additional skills and treatments to the patient.

This year these included two General Anaesthetics, including a medical coma to place a patient on life support.

Seventeen patients were discharged at the scene, avoiding the need to transport them to the Emergency Department.