Laois Civil Defence rescues walker in Slieve Blooms
Laois Civil Defence members transporting the injured walker on a stretcher in the Slive Blooms on Tuesday afternoon
AN INJURED walker stranded in the Slieve Bloom Mountains was rescued by a Laois Civil Defence team yesterday.
Volunteers rushed to the scene when they received an emergency call during the afternoon, after a hiker suffered an injury in uneven terrain.
An ambulance that was unable to access the forested area remained on standby, while Civil Defence emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics provided medical assistance at the scene.
Following initial medical treatment, the Civil Defence crew carried the walker on a stretcher along rough and muddy wooded trails to the waiting ambulance.
After the successful handover, the casualty was transported to hospital by the National Ambulance Service and is recovering from the ordeal.
Civil Defence volunteers are regularly called out to assist frontline emergency services and their callouts are set to increase, with brighter spring days ahead. The teams are trained in a range of skills such as first aid, mountain search and rescue, radio communications and swift water rescue.
Funded by Laois County Council and the Department of Defence, the organisation’s headquarters at Kea-Lew Business Park in Portlaoise has volunteers on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
