Air Corps pilot shortage limits emergency helicopter use
A chronic shortage of trained pilots has forced the Air Corps to reduce the number of hours it will fly the Emergency Aeromedical Service helicopter, based in Athlone.
The Defence Forces press office confirmed the Air Corps will be unable to man the helicopter for four days per month up until the end of next February, because it does not have enough qualified pilots to operate all the shifts.
Defence Forces sources said that in the interim, it is planned to accelerate pilot training to ensure there are more personnel qualified to fly the helicopter. It is hoped this will provide them with enough pilots to undertake all operational shifts from the start of next March.
However, that will be dependant on there being no further exodus of pilots for better-paid jobs in the private sector.
A report handed to the Public Service Pay Commission earlier this year, compiled by the independent company Research Matters Ltd, surveyed 2,000 members of the Defence Forces on how they viewed their futures.
In total, 76.7% of those interviewed in the Air Corps said they were viewing significantly better job alternatives elsewhere.
Fianna Fáil spokesman on defence, Jack Chambers, said the news highlighted yet again “collapsing structures within the Defence Forces”.
He said it mirrored the operational cutbacks forced on the Naval Service due to manpower shortages.
Mr Chambers claimed that minister with responsibility for defence, Paul Kehoe, was still not addressing the key difficulties of recruitment and retention in the Defence Forces, which had led to the continuing manpower crisis across the military.
Meanwhile, the Irish Coast Guard has suspended all search and rescue boat operations with immediate effect because of concerns over the safety of volunteers’ lifejackets.
The order means that volunteers at 23 of the service’s 44 stations that are equipped with Delta RIBs (rigid inflatable boats) and smaller D-Class boats, cannot launch for rescue operations until further notice.
In an email sent to unit officers in charge around the country yesterday afternoon, the Irish Coast Guard said: “An investigation is under way into the recent malfunctioning of Rescue 400 lifejackets.
“Specifically, the 275N section of the lifejacket failed to fully function when activated.”
According to sources, however, serious concerns had been expressed about volunteers’ lifejackets several years ago.
It is understood the problem with inflation of the lifejackets had been brought to the attention of Coast Guard management on numerous occasions in recent years.
