Over 180 Personnel take part in annual Emergency Services National Training Exercise based at Waterford Airport

May 2014

The Department of Transport in conjunction with Waterford Airport and the National Emergency Services today (May 7, 2014) host its national exercise off the Waterford coastline.

Waterford Airport is the base of operations for the National Exercise and over 180 personnel across nine emergency services including, The Irish Coastguard, The Civil Defence, The RNLI, The National Ambulance Service, An Garda Siochana, The Waterford Fire Services and the Defence Forces including, the Army, Aer Corps and Irish Navy alongside Waterford Airport and the Department of Transport.

In the afternoon of Wednesday, May 7 the emergency services will combine to carry out an evacuation training scenario from the LE Eithne which will be located three miles off Hook Head in the Waterford estuary.

Commenting on their involvement within the training scenario, CEO at Waterford Airport, Desmond O’Flynn said, “The Airport is delighted and honoured to have been chosen by the Irish Coastguard to be the launch point for this National Training Exercise. The Airport has a long association with marine rescue in the South and Southeast first of all with the Aer Corps since the mid-nineties and then the Irish Coastguard since 2002.”

The exercise demonstrates the ability of the emergency services to work together in the event of major emergency.