It seems that Minister Dempsey is not for turning. But I simply cannot let the evening go without challenging his, at best mis-informed and, at least mis-leading, comments on the reduced Search & Rescue helicopter service which he and his department intend introducing on the South & South East coastline in 2013 - the contracts for which are seemingly due to be signed in the next few weeks. He is so obviously parroting the(wrong)information that some suit in the Department is feeding him without having any real understanding of it himself.
The current helicopter service DOES fly at night and indeed, in clouds - contrary to what Minister Dempsey said on the Six One bulletin on RTE today. Where he got that one I'll never know - but it does back up my 'parroting' hypothesis.
It will NOT - according to my information - be 50% faster, but rather maybe closer to 15% faster to fly here from another base with the new helicopters. However, once an emergency is reported a crew from Dublin or Shannon will not scramble (wake, travel to base, be briefed, read maps and take off)any faster than before and regardless of the flying speed would not arrive as fast as a locally based helicopter - which, bear in mind, will also benefit from the faster speeds of a newer helicopter - arriving at an emergency even quicker than it does now.
Perhaps the Minister has been watching too many episodes of Star Trek and thinks they can be 'beamed' to the South coast?
So, imagine yourself in trouble on a trawler - perhaps after a fall, a heart-attack, a cap-sizing, a stroke - perhaps you are in the water...or clinging to the base of a cliff. Maybe you got caught in a rising tide. It's dark, you're cold and panic and perhaps hypothermia is starting to set in. You will now have to wait an EXTRA 30-40 minutes - potentially life saving or live taking minutes - on top of what it might take a local crew to reach you.
Those 30 - 40 minutes I have no doubt, will, some day, unfortunately cost someone their life. It could be your dad. Your husband. Your child. It could be all three as has happened before. Then it will be too late.
We must do everything we can to ensure that this decision is changed now, before the contract is signed. Especially as it seems to be based on entirely ridiculous information like that opined by the Minister above.
I wonder is there a record for how many incorrect facts you can state in a minute? If there is, then Minister Dempsey would surely have a fair shot at that title today.
If this is no big deal - then cut Dublin's service and see how a million people repay you. Are we being targeted because we have less population and currently - no political clout? Is it that parochial? Because short of seeing the justification and how a 30 minute EXTRA delay is a better service (according to the Minister!?!?) then I can see no other reason.
Please attend the Public Meeting on March 31st, 7.30pm in the Tower Hotel. We must unite and get organised across the entire South and South East coast to fight this move. Those who have lost loved ones deserve our commitment now. The brave men and women of the Search & Rescue service who, day in day out, go out to save lives - sometimes at great risk to their own - deserve it. We deserve it.
Could you halve a fire service, or an ambulance? Hell no. Then why this life-saving service? It just doesn't make any sense.
Are we to be condemned to a lesser service than any other coastal community in the Country? Yes if FF and the Greens have their way. This just simply can NOT be allowed to happen. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not EVER.
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