Regular ambulance Vs Fire brigade ambulance

irishguy

Can anyone tell me why one would be dispatched over the other? I always wondered why the fire brigade has ambulances, do they not provide different services?

Tango Alpha 51

Dublin Fire & Rescue provide 11/12 ambulances for 999 work in Dublin City. The HSE also provide the ambulance service in Dublin as well as the rest of the country. The local authority fire & rescue services around the country do not provide an ambulance service. The training for the ambulance service be it HSE or DFB is basically the same. The difference between the two services is that the HSE NAS cover AS1 (999 or Emergency calls), AS2 calls ie Urgent doctor's calls as well as AS3 calls ie clinic runs & discharges to nursing homes from hospitals etc. The DFB ambulance service currently only deals with AS1 (999 or Emergency calls)

irishguy

buzzman wrote: »

Dublin Fire & Rescue provide 11/12 ambulances for 999 work in Dublin City. The HSE also provide the ambulance service in Dublin as well as the rest of the country. The local authority fire & rescue services around the country do not provide an ambulance service. The training for the ambulance service be it HSE or DFB is basically the same. The difference between the two services is that the HSE NAS cover AS1 (999 or Emergency calls), AS2 calls ie Urgent doctor's calls as well as AS3 calls ie clinic runs & discharges to nursing homes from hospitals etc. The DFB ambulance service currently only deals with AS1 (999 or Emergency calls)

Thanks for clearing that up. It seems a bit strange that 2 organisations would provide the same service. You think the government would just give the resources to the one department and let them look after it.

coolmoose

irishguy wrote: »

Thanks for clearing that up. It seems a bit strange that 2 organisations would provide the same service. You think the government would just give the resources to the one department and let them look after it.

They technically do...DFB provide an emergency ambulance service for Dublin on behalf of/under contract to/whatever phrasing is acceptable for the HSE (i.e. the HSE pay DFB for the service...or at least they're supposed to)

Delancey

Since DFB only do 999 calls does that mean they don't do hospital transfers , etc ?

coolmoose

Correct

sdanseo

So if you call an ambulance in Dublin, you get through to the Control Centre in Townsend St right? So how do they decide whether you get a HSE ambo or DFB one? Which would be dispatched first presuming both are available, is it simply whatever's nearest?

Also in Dublin, do HSE NAS ambos have a fixed base at hospitals etc or are they just mobile?

coolmoose

There is a shared HSE/DFB control room. You are assigned the closest available free resource. HSE NAS ambos run from bases both in hospitals and elsewhere in Dublin. Dynamic standby/hard standby is a more common concept in the UK but give it time and we'll see it here.

pingu2008

did cork city a one time have an ambulance service found these photos on the fire service trust site

thorpe

Cork City FB did run an ambulance service up until the mid late 1980's if memory serves me correctly.
On the DFB & HSE NAS in Dublin who decides on wether or not an AP is required at scene also and who would be dispatched first DFB or the NAS or is it who ever is available.

coolmoose

as said in my previous post, closest resource is normally dispatched. AP deployment is based on both call information and requests from P crews.

Tango Alpha 51

Both Cork City & Limerick City Fire & Rescue provided ambulances back in the day. AFAIK Limerick City ceased their's shorthly after the commencement of the old MWHB Amb Svce back in 73/74

Paulzx

This is from memory so might not be entirely accurate.

Up until the early seventies the local Public Authority had statuatory obligations re providing an ambo service. This was provided in some cases through the Fire Services.

When the Health Boards were established the legal responsibility was passed over to them.

In the case of Dublin the status quo remained as the Health Board allowed the DFB to provide the service under contract.

In recent years a private ambulance company took a case to the European Court saying that as the DFB were operating under contract from the Health Board this should be subject to a public tender process and private companies allowed bid for it.

The ruling found in favour of the present system. As there was an emergency service to the public being provided in a non profit manner by a public body it did not require a public tender. It also recognised the historical aspect in that the DFB had provided an ambulance service for over a hundred years and the ruling confered near statuatory recognition of the DFB service.

Other Fire Brigades throughout the country have over the years discontinued their provision of these services.

ivabiggon

pingu2008 wrote: »

did cork city a one time have an ambulance service found these photos on the fire service trust site

hey mods i think these photos should be copied over to the vehicle photo thread. very rear, i worked out of the ambulance type in the top left (white)

drill

coolmoose wrote: »

as said in my previous post, closest resource is normally dispatched. AP deployment is based on both call information and requests from P crews.

Having worked in tara st control for two years, have to say that the CLOSEST resource wasn't always sent. It would depend on time of call ie 0400 and what it was would be a huge factor in who got the call

coolmoose

hence...why i said "normally" dispatched. lets leave the DFB v HSE stuff at the door, we're all well aware of it.