An official review of the emergency helicopter ambulance service operated by the Air Corps found no agreement on a long-term location could be reached between different parties involved in the project.
The review suggests that defence personnel wanted to look at alternatives to Custume Barracks in Athlone where the service, which provides rapid medical intervention for people in rural and isolated communities, has been based for several years.
However, health service figures backed Athlone.
The review, which was completed in December 2024, states that defence stakeholders argued that continued operation from Custume Barracks could “only be facilitated as a short-term, fallback position during the interim development phase of a permanent base elsewhere”.
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However, “conversely, Department of Health stakeholders maintain that this represents the preferred location for a single base, single aircraft operation model”, it adds.
The Department of Defence told The Irish Times that a €1.5 million upgrade of hangar facilities at Custume Barracks had addressed immediate operational and maintenance issues at the Athlone base and “secures the continued operation of the EAS [emergency aeromedical support] service”.
It said the service had resumed operations from Athlone on March 18th following the investment.
The department said the upgrade provided “essential space and facilities crucial for Air Corps technicians to conduct comprehensive daily aircraft inspections”.
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An operational report drawn up as part of the review found that the aircraft shelter then in place in Athlone could not be heated at night, was unstable in high winds and was out of warranty.
A separate report on comparative operations in other countries found that in all cases examined, aircraft were based overnight in heated or air-conditioned buildings and operated out of purpose-built facilities.
“There were no significant corrosion issues experienced with other operators’ helicopters, compared to the AW 139 aircraft operated by the Air Corps,” it stated.
The HSE emergency aeromedical support service commenced in June 2012, initially on a pilot basis.
In 2015 the Government established the service on a permanent basis “subject to ongoing review in the context of ensuring a sustainable, long term service arrangement”. Under the Government’s subsequent White Paper on Defence, a civil/military project team was established to look at the issue.
This group produced “a disagreed report” which was released in a heavily redacted form by the Department of Defense.
The report concludes that after extensive consultation and review it was not possible for the project team to reach consensus on a permanent and sustainable location for the ongoing provision of the EAS service.
It states that one of the primary challenges encountered was “the divergence in perspectives among participating stakeholder groups”.
“While some emphasised accessibility and proximity to vulnerable communities, others prioritised cost effectiveness and infrastructure availability. Balancing these varied priorities proved to be exceptionally complex.”
The report states that the identification of suitable sites posed another significant hurdle.
“However, each potential site presented its own set of limitations, making it challenging to identify a universally acceptable option among the legitimately already restrictive range of cost nugatory and immediately available sites.”
Among locations examined were the Air Corps base at Baldonnel, Nenagh Barracks in Co Tipperary, lands at St Peter’s, Castlepollard and St Loman’s, Mullingar, both in Co Westmeath, and military sites at Cushla, Athlone and Oranmore, as well as some private airfields and airports including Shannon and Knock.
The review states that the Department of Defence “recommends that as the stakeholder group with ultimate client responsibility, HSE, National Ambulance Service and Department of Health should take the lead role in determining a new viable base of service operations, with technical consultation to be provided as needed by the Irish Air Corps”.
“This recommendation was not agreed by all stakeholders and forms the basis for the divergence of stakeholders, resulting in this disagreed report.”
The review also recommends that the Air Corps should review its personnel and helicopter resource capability and that a direct entry scheme for military pilots into the Air Corps should be introduced.
The Department of Health said that along with the HSE National Ambulance Service, it remained “engaged with the Department of Defence and the Irish Air Corps on supporting the continued collaborative delivery of the EAS service”.
