ARMY To the rescue!!!???

bigdogbarking

just watching rte news at 1.
Dublin council saying they'll be calling on the army to help.
I don't mean to be ignorant but wtf can the army do? is there a magic grit machine in each barracks?
Are they expected to tow every stuck motorist?
Or perhaps weight in numbers, they can all breathe heavily on the roads to help thaw them out?

deadwood

God, wait 'til the Snowball Trauma claims pour in.

That ice can be slippy.

Perhaps they could fill sandbags with snow to prevent more flooding?

maglite

Shoveling grit off the back of a flat bed?

In my opinion

bigdogbarking wrote: »

just watching rte news at 1.
Dublin council saying they'll be calling on the army to help.
I don't mean to be ignorant but wtf can the army do? is there a magic grit machine in each barracks?
Are they expected to tow every stuck motorist?
Or perhaps weight in numbers, they can all breathe heavily on the roads to help thaw them out?

Manpower and 4x4 trucks. You may see trucks loaded with grit or 6mm chips being shoveled out by soldiers onto the roads.

More realisticly trucks may be used to rescue people!!! And lots of media attention.

I remember 1982 when air corps was dropping fodder in mountainous areas.

BizPost

Army could be used to provide ambulance cover for places where standard ambulance can't reach. Rear wheel drive is causing nightmare for DFB ambulance control with 3 hours waiting to get to some cases.

Why aren't the ambulance 4x4 jeeps that army/vols have being used?

Delancey

As Deadwood already suggested : 2,000 soldiers helping clear ice and snow = 2,000 potential Personal Injury claims !

Hooch

delancey42 wrote: »

As Deadwood already suggested : 2,000 soldiers helping clear ice and snow = 2,000 potential Personal Injury claims !

Now now guys.....take it easy.....

hugoline

maglite wrote: »

Shoveling grit off the back of a flat bed?

According to the guy on the 1 news, dublin is almost out of grit (less than one day reserve at the moment :eek:) and are working on a day to day bases.

I guess the army could help transport more grit to dublin and other soon empty depots around the country and as others mentioned help in distributing it on the roads (and footpaths)

Sierra Oscar

I think more people in local communities should come together and do any little bit they can to help. Years ago you would see farmers gritting roads around their own land and people in estates gritting the roads in and around their own estates. Its sad to say that that "volunteer" ethos is dying out all over the country.

helimachoptor

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

I think more people in local communities should come together and do any little bit they can to help. Years ago you would see farmers gritting roads around their own land and people in estates gritting the roads in and around their own estates. Its sad to say that that "volunteer" ethos is dying out all over the country.

give me the grit to do it and i'll happily oblige!!

Sierra Oscar

helimachoptor wrote: »

give me the grit to do it and i'll happily oblige!!

There is plenty of grit available throughout the country from local quarries - this was highlighted quite extensively on Joe Duffy's program an hour or so ago with quarry owners from different parts of the country pointing out that they have plenty of grit available. Some of the quarries are handing it out free to those who want it.

Sure, some of it may not pass lab tests (although most quarries do), but every little helps.

helimachoptor

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

There is plenty of grit available throughout the country from local quarries - this was highlighted quite extensively on Joe Duffy's program an hour or so ago with quarry owners from different parts of the country pointing out that they have plenty of grit available. Some of the quarries are handing it out free to those who want it.

Sure, some of it may not pass lab tests (although most quarries do), but every little helps.

sorry man but I've got a life (and an exam later) so I dont listen to Joe Duffy, no offence intended.


Ok where's the nearest quarry to Tallaght?

Edit: why the f**k are we importing it then if its in our own quarries??

parsi

Maybe it's so that we can invade the North and take their salt ?

helimachoptor

helimachoptor wrote: »

Edit: why the f**k are we importing it then if its in our own quarries??

The sheer quantity needed I would think.

Sierra Oscar

foreign wrote: »

The sheer quantity needed I would think.

That and it is still cheaper to import it (normally).

cushtac

delancey42 wrote: »

As Deadwood already suggested : 2,000 soldiers helping clear ice and snow = 2,000 potential Personal Injury claims !

You get out & clear the snow then.

cushtac

helimachoptor wrote: »

Ok where's the nearest quarry to Tallaght?

There's the massive Roadstone quarry off the Belgard Road.

alexlyons

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

I think more people in local communities should come together and do any little bit they can to help. Years ago you would see farmers gritting roads around their own land and people in estates gritting the roads in and around their own estates. Its sad to say that that "volunteer" ethos is dying out all over the country.

farmers down in cork and also in other areas have said to the council that they'll grit ALL the back roads if they give them the grit, but the council said they wouldn't, not they didn't have it, but they wouldn't give it to them! I heard joe duffy on the free grit and what have ye, but i don't think the quarries down south are being quite as generous yet :mad:

bigdogbarking

can't see a couple of soldiers with shovels doing too much but i suppose every little helps, its worrying though that in the case of an emergency like this that county councils won't go to their nearest quarry. i heard earlier on the radio that one of the biggest problems was the waiting times for importing salt. just goes to show they really don't give a ****.

byrner88

helimachoptor wrote: »

sorry man but I've got a life (and an exam later) so I dont listen to Joe Duffy, no offence intended.


Ok where's the nearest quarry to Tallaght?

Edit: why the f**k are we importing it then if its in our own quarries??

cushtac wrote: »

There's the massive Roadstone quarry off the Belgard Road.

yeah don't know anyone who lives in Tallaght that doesn't know about roadstone its huge . im sure they have plenty of grit to spare

deadwood

delancey42 wrote: »

As Deadwood already suggested : 2,000 soldiers helping clear ice and snow = 2,000 potential Personal Injury claims !

cushtac wrote: »

You get out & clear the snow then.

Sorry, cushtac, no offence intended. Just getting the hackneyed jibes in before someone else did.

Don't sue.:D

maglite

When they speak of grit I was under the impression that it refered to a rock salt mined in the north(which AFAIK supplies most of england and N Europe) as opposed to course sand that has been spread in a couple places from the local quarry?


The salt mix will melt the ice.

Bosco boy

seriously, another week of this is going to cause serious problems, I can see lives lost as a result of people going out on ice on lakes dispite all the warnings, what about old people who are imprisoned in their own homes for the last few weeks, the details of elderly people who have not collected their pensions for a week or two should be given to the civil defence who should call on them and assist them, lets be proactive rather than re active and help them now and it may just save lives

Leo Demidov

+1 to that.

I live in a rural area, am young, fit and well equipped to handle the current situation. I still find myself thinking hard to plan more than a few days ahead. Anyone who is in a position to check in on or even enquire as to the well being of an elderly neighbour should do so regardless of their other committments.

An extra bag of coal or litre of milk on your next outing to the shops is no big load and it may well be the difference betwen life and death for an elderly neighbour. Dont assume that someone else will or should do it.

As a member of CD I find their response to this type of situation pitiful and will pursue this further.

wexfjord

wexfjord wrote: »

As a member of CD I find their response to this type of situation pitiful and will pursue this further.

I would assueme that this is because they need to be asked to help, they can't just jump in and say we're helping!

Leo Demidov

Agreed on that but members are not being put on standby, provisional numbers being determined etc. Certainly some counties are very active but I'm looking at two neighbouring counties where the weather is very similar. One county is out assisting motorists, elderly etc, the other has yet to contact volunteers to see who can travel etc, to determine what resources are available in the event of a shout. No good finding out all your volunteers are housebound half an hour after a call from local authority seeking assistance.

It just seems a waste of valuable resources to have them lying idle at a time of hardship to many,

As i write this i've just got the call for tomorrow and sunday. i'll be on bitching about the weather no doubt.

arybvtcw0eolkf

deadwood wrote: »

God, wait 'til the Snowball Trauma claims pour in.

That ice can be slippy.

Perhaps they could fill sandbags with snow to prevent more flooding?

I expected better from you, why am I disappointed when people let me down?.

Our Defence Forces are very experienced in bringing humanitarian aid to people in conditions ranging from the tropic's in East Timor, to the jungles and deserts of Africa and heat & severe snow of a Lebanese winter & the Balkans.

We might not have grit, or indeed too many troops not committed to operational matters to put on the streets, but showing a presence would lend at least some confidence to the public that something is being done, that the government care's.

That might be anything from providing meals & transport to our old folk (today is pension's day for instance) to providing as someone mentioned earlier 4x4 ambulance facilities (the AC have provide air ambulance cover) and other duties are required during this spell of bad weather.

Without getting too long winded, as I said earlier, showing a presence would lend some confidence to the public that they're not alone and helpless.

Trojan911

wexfjord wrote: »

I live in a rural area, am young, fit and well equipped

More than enough information there fella.....

OP,

No harm in the Army chipping in, the more the merrier. But what makes me laugh is Willie O'Dea yesterday moaning that "We were not asked for assistance"

Is he not capable of asking or offering help?

the_syco

Trojan911 wrote: »

Is he not capable of asking or offering help?

Probably didn't want to step on anyones toes.

Hobbes

delancey42 wrote: »

As Deadwood already suggested : 2,000 soldiers helping clear ice and snow = 2,000 potential Personal Injury claims !

If your that worried why don't you get out and help shovel the snow for the public.

Hooch

Shawn Bald History wrote: »

I expected better from you, why am I disappointed when people let me down?.

Hobbes wrote: »

If your that worried why don't you get out and help shovel the snow for the public.

Just on that lads.....deadwoods humor needs getting used to.....no malice was intented im sure.

I do believe the Defence forces can add an awful lot to local authoritys and emergency services. While were all at home in our warm homes with our families take the time to remember the elderly who may have no heating....no logs....no coal.....no way of getting to the shops......no way of getting to hospital. I have had to do several of these calls and changed by role from traffic to humanitarian assistance during this Xmas in our 4X4 travelling hills the cars cannot.
We have only one 4x4 in our division....as with most so I can only cover one - two districts out of 4. The defence forces have the personnell....the vehicles and the training for this. Draft them in to help with that. Lots of people are forgetting about them

F@*k the roads....remember those in need.

wexfjord

wexfjord wrote: »

Agreed on that but members are not being put on standby, provisional numbers being determined etc. Certainly some counties are very active but I'm looking at two neighbouring counties where the weather is very similar. One county is out assisting motorists, elderly etc, the other has yet to contact volunteers to see who can travel etc, to determine what resources are available in the event of a shout. No good finding out all your volunteers are housebound half an hour after a call from local authority seeking assistance.

It just seems a waste of valuable resources to have them lying idle at a time of hardship to many,

Wexfjord, do you speak for the CD nationally? If not then how do you know what is happening across the country. And I'm sure the defense forces will be called on first as it is really equipment that is needed and they are available without taking away from the work force of the country. (I hope that doesn't come across as an attack on what CD do, it's not meant to).

At the end of the day it's just bad weather. People need to take extra care, drive safely and if your walking on untreated footpaths then take your hands out of your pockets. If you fall it may help!

And as NGA said, look out for the people who may be stuck in their homes especially the elderly.



And some people seem to have an issue with Deadwoods humour. If you do, there is an ignore button.

Leo Demidov

Its fair to say that i was speaking regionally about those counties whose members are known to me. I was trying to highlight in my last post the inconsistency between CD in counties which are experiencing the same weather.

Regarding the equipment, my personal vehicles are not capable of working in areas where some CD vehicles can. Regarding personnel, I most likely wont get back to work till weather improves significantly and have made myself available for that duration. I'm sure others are in similar positions, particularly over the weekend.