National Fire Services Extrication Challenge

The O’Brien Institute hosted the National Fire Services Extrication Challenge in March 2009. PHECC Registrar, Barry O’Sullivan and Project Officer, Ricky Ellis held a workshop on PHECC’s vision for an integrated response between the community and responders from all services and disciplines.

There was great interest from all regarding the concept that PHECC’s Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs), if utilised by all services, provide the platform for seamless care.

CPGs provide a direct procedural link between CPR-trained community members and the professional response levels, including the GP who may arrive at an incident.

There was broad agreement by the PHECC workshop attendees, that those working to the CPGs, in the delivery of patient care in the pre-hospital arena, provide a standard of care that not only ensures appropriate patient care, but also facilitates confident patient-handover to the next level of care.

Many congratulations to the Carlow team who won the event as well as to the Oldcastle (Co Meath) team who finished runner up in the competition.