WESTERN counties are to benefit from two new community ambulances, launched last week by the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Eamon O Cuiv.
The emergency vehicles, which will be operated by Irish Red Cross volunteers in Ballaghaderreen and Cairns Hill in Sligo, have been part-funded under a CLÁR initiative introduced by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in 2007.
Under the scheme, the department provides •1.5m per annum over a two-year period to cover 80 per cent of the cost of buying voluntary community ambulances. Funding of •241,589 in 2007 and
•199,903 in 2008 was given for the purchase of the two West of Ireland vehicles, and another in County Carlow.
“These ambulances will not simply improve people’s quality of life; they will go one step further in that they will actually save lives,” said Minister O’Cuiv. “I cannot overstate the importance of this. The community ambulances could one day mean the difference between life and death. For such a small investment, they will provide the people of these CLÁR communities with security and the means to access the medical care they need. I believe that the taxpayer should be very pleased with the value for money that these ambulances will achieve.”
The minister also commended the work of the Irish Red Cross volunteers who will staff the ambulances, saying they showed that the spirit of community is alive and well in Ireland.
“Some commentators claim that Ireland is losing its sense of community spirit, that people have become more selfish and less willing than ever before to sacrifice their time for others. I believe that such a claim is untrue. On my visits to villages, parishes, towns and cities across the country, I meet people who believe in making the effort to strengthen their own communities. I meet people willing to work hard to support those in their communities who need their help. I meet busy people who nevertheless use the little free time they have to engage in community development, or provide sports training to young people, or offer companionship and assistance to older people.
“These volunteers know that it is not a matter of ‘sacrificing’ their time, but rather, investing it in the community. While the state continues to provide support and direction, community spirit comes from within.
“This scheme shows just how much can be achieved by partner-ship between communities, voluntary organisation and the state, and the efforts of the men and women from the Irish Red Cross will make these ambulances a huge asset to the communities they serve.”
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