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Today's Ambulance
Service 
Dublin Fire Brigade
operates
12 emergency
ambulances in Dublin
with all operational
firefighters rotating from fire to ambulance duties. Firefighters
are certified Paramedics (formerly Emergency Medical Technicians
Part B) with the Health Services Executive. There are also a number
of - Paramedics trained by in Boston after an 8 month fulltime course
as well as some who have joined after working abroad.Some of these
Paramedics also did the new Irish EMT-A (or what is now termed as
Advanced Paramedic) course introduced into Ireland in 2005. Several
of these courses have now taken place with members of Dublin Fire
Brigade taking part along with our colleagues from the Health Services
Executive Ambulance Services.
Shifts are
from 9.00 to 18.00 hours on days and 18.00 to 09.00 on nights with
the frequency of time spent assigned to the ambulance depending
on the number of personnel in the station.
Two advanced Paramedic vehicles
also operate on a part time basis at present with advanced paramedic
interns from around the country travelling along as part of their
internship.
.
(Note: The
Prehospital Emergency Care Council
www.phecc.ie which
is the governing body for ambulance personnel in Ireland changed
the titles of EMT -B to Paramedic with EMT-As being called Paramedic
Advanced which l know is confusing to those abroad. For a full explanation
of the level of training of each you should visit the PHECC
site.)
The Medical Director for the Brigade is Doctor Peter O Connor the
Accident and Emergency consultant with the Mater Hospital.
The major advantage in having
all personnel ambulance trained is that a pool of nearly 700 personnel
trained to at least Paramedic (EMT-B) level is available when the
need arises. This is very obvious when responding to road traffic
accidents (RTA’s) as all personnel can operate closely together
understanding what needs to be done and using true teamwork. At
any time should an ambulance require assistance for a lift or rescue
then fire
engines and rescue units are
available by contacting the control room which is also manned by
operational firefighters stationed in HQ on a rota basis.
In December 2000 the Dublin
Fire Brigade achieved the I.S.O. 9002 (International Standards Organisation)
for its ambulance service.
With firefighters operating
the control room a fire engine and other vehicles are sent at the
same time as an ambulance if the situation requires them.
For example any cardiac arrest, non minor road traffic accident,
possible spinal injury etc. a fire appliance is dispatched automatically
along with the ambulance.
This extra manpower means that a much greater
level of patient care can be given during procedures such
as spinal log rolls which require five people for optimum further
injury limitation.
The extra personnel also can assist
with lifting heavier patients especially from upstairs or more inaccessible
locations.
With all fire engines in Dublin carrying experienced Paramedics
(Previously called Emergency Medical Technicians) and medical equipment
such as defibrillators and oxygen therapy patient treatment can
begin immediately to Paramedic (EMT-B) level as a fire appliance
regardless that they may be the first on the scene.
Vehicles
Dublin Fire Brigade has an ongoing fleet
replacement policy and the current Ford ambulances with a Voyager
body built by Wilker are being replaced with new CEN complient ones
pictured above. In line with the idea of emergency use only, the
ambulances currently being purchased are single trolley only with
two patient seats. All ambulances in DFB are single trolley.
Training
The O’ Brien Institute in Marino Dublin is
the training centre for the DFB and from 1995 all ambulance training
for the fire brigade has taken place there. Initially the course
for the EMT-B was started by the North Eastern University of Boston
Massachusetts (who have now withdrawn from Ireland) but the instructors
consist now mainly of a mixture of DFB officers, outside instructors
and lecturing doctors and consultants. The Royal College of Surgeons
in Dublin certify all new DFB Paramedics (EMTs) .All ambulance crews
in the Republic of Ireland operate under the Pre-Hospitals Emergency
Care Councils protocols. P.H.E.C.C. Go
to their website
...
The course
lasts 10 weeks fulltime and includes certification for use of the
semiautomatic defibrillators carried in all ambulances. An internship
consisting of 880 hours (160 as a third person and 720 as the attendant)
on the ambulance is also currently required by the Department of
Health with a two day end of course evaluation. During this time
the internship will keep a log of all their calls and patient report
from, skills learned etc. for return the certification authority.
An eight month fulltime
paramedic course which ran in Boston and finished in early 2000
was completed successfully by all six Dublin Fire Brigade members.
The first 2 courses of EMT -A or Paramedic Advanced took place in
2005 and with members from Dublin Fire Brigade and Health Boards
taking part. Further courses are now ongoing.
The Advanced Paramedics
are now rotating between operations and training while an agreed
methods of deployment is beindg decided.
Becoming
an Paramedic with Dublin Fire Brigade
It is possible to become a Paramedic as
an individual doing
a course with either Dublin Fire Brigade or the National Ambulance
Training School in the Phoenix Park.
You should
contact the training section of either for up to date information.
A
very short history
Formation
of the DFB Ambulance Service
From 1862 any fireman injured at a fire was
transported to hospital by the Brigades tool cart or hose wagon.
A tour of inspection in 1898 by the Chief Fire officer and a subcommittee
which took in brigades of England and Scotland gave the groundwork
to an improvement plan for the brigade which was presented by the
CFO Mr. Purcell to the corporation.
The corporation accepted the plan and began to implement it's recommendations.
 The
unhygienic tool cart as a medical transport was dropped and the
Corporation commissioned a horse-drawn ambulance and the firemen
were trained in first aid. A second ambulance was purchased in 1901.
The calls
that first year of operation stood at 537 and increased each year
along with the population of Dublin. 100 years later and Dublin
Fire Brigade has eleven emergency ambulances responding to over
90,000 emergency calls in 1999.
Dublin Fire Brigade
Emergency
Medical Technicians Basic Course
The following is a
general outline of the course using headings as given to students
without the further detail in each heading.
Obviously as protocols change and medical
advances are introduced this will change to some extent but it is
here only to give the reader a general outline of the course. Contact
the Dublin centre for more info.
The centre teaches both firefighters and many private individuals
who wish to do the course which is mandatory if working on an ambulance.
Interns are given places on board a fire brigade ambulance for six
months in order to comply with the 56 hours minimum per month required
for Department of Health's EMT-B certification.
Hospital rotation is also a requirement of the
course with places in an adult & paediatric accident and emergency
hospital as well as a maternity hospital arranged by the centre.
The 12 DFB ambulances are currently doing over
90,000 emergency calls a year. (This translates to about 70,000
actual separate incidents where 1 incident may require several ambulances.)
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Organization Structure
