Press release
Civil Defence assist with a wide range of activities during the current snow/ice weather event
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
During the current snow/ice weather event, eighteen of the country’s 28 Civil Defence Units have been mobilised in support of emergency services and local communities across large parts of the country, responding to requests from Principal Response Agencies, including An Garda Síochána and the HSE.
The deployed Civil Defence Units include Kerry, Cork, Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Carlow, Kilkenny, Offaly, Laois, Kildare, Galway, Wexford, Wicklow, Donegal and Cavan. Dublin has also been deployed to provide assistance in Limerick. Other units are on standby if needed.
Civil Defence Units have been deployed to assist with a wide range of activities, including transport of HSE patients, facilitating palliative care home visits, welfare visits and transport of key HSE staff. The Units have also provided assistance to business and community groups. The range and volume of requests has been very significant, with hundreds of taskings completed over the past five days, and hundreds of critical care staff and patients transported. Such is the volume of requests received, that it has not been possible to track the total number of people assisted with general welfare visits and other assistance.
In addition to the full-time Civil Defence Officers and Assistant Civil Defence Officers, hundreds of Volunteers have responded by working long hours over consecutive days using their training and experience to assist those impacted and often cut-off from services. This work has been carried out in parallel with other critical Civil Defence duties, including missing person searches.
The actions of Civil Defence Officers and Volunteers throughout the country has contributed significantly to the wellbeing of many people for whom the weather conditions present very challenging circumstances, especially some very vulnerable people in our communities.
This effort was possible because of the specific training that the Volunteers maintain throughout the year, and because of the modern 4 wheeled drive fleet, including ambulances, and communication equipment, which allows units to access and track otherwise inaccessible areas of the country.
Civil Defence is at its best in these difficult times. The government remains committed to investing in Civil Defence. Its modernisation and expansion will ensure it continues to have the capacity to adequately support the Principal Response Agencies in a range of areas including these extreme weather events. Investment in Volunteers through training and the continuous updating of fleet and equipment will enable Civil Defence to grow its Volunteer base so it may continue to carry out this crucial work.