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« on: November 17, 2006, 05:50:20 pm »
Hi Guys,
As regards the PDG helicopter operating the contract as Joe said I think the 'Tory run' as I call it is leased out to PDG when the IHL Bo-105 is unavailable.
I have no information as to how much the contract is worth as it is presently operating but the system is that the aircraft arrives the afternoon before commencing the runs, it fuels up in Carrickfinn and it then lands at a local hotel (in Gweedore) before waking everybody in the locality up the next morning as it goes about the island runs. I believe it departs again the same day. Could anyone shed any light on how much a service like this would cost?
As regards the availability of a lifeboat on Tory I would say that it is a practical issue for the RNLI, in general terms I doubt it would make logistical sense having two Severn class boats based so relatively close to each other as the Arranmore and Tory one would be if it where to have one.
There is a Coastguard station based in Bunbeg, newly opened actually which operates a RIB boat but this would be impractical for operations such as patient transfer.
As regards the ambulance service in the locality it can sometimes leave a lot to be desired, but as with everything in the country this has to do with allocation of what resources are available.We have a good out of hours GP service in the NOWDoc (similar to the Westdoc service) and the Doctor would usually arrive long before an ambulance in an emergency situation, road accident etc.
And Pilatus the Ferry service isn't a joke btw! They do the best they can with the equipment they've got and they operate a reliable service, as reliable as any service can be when it is dependent on weather conditions.
Lude