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Paramedics have asked the fire service for support in tackling the coronavirus pandemic in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\nParamedics have asked the fire service for support in tackling the coronavirus pandemic in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
Ambulance chiefs are braced for a wave of cases over the next fortnight which may require an emergency response and the transfer of many patients to hospital.<\/p>\n
Interim chief fire officer Michael Graham said he was finalizing proposals and added ensuring adequate protective equipment was available was his main priority.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have committed to working with Northern Ireland Ambulance Service colleagues to scope out this work and by the end of this week we should be in a position to communicate what this may look like.\u201d<\/p>\n
He told his staff: \u201cI am fully aware that any such support relies on you volunteering for these roles.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also asked members planning to retire within the next six months to consider postponing their arrangements.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know this is a big personal and financial decision for anyone to take but I would ask that you please consider if you could stay with us for another few months to help the organisation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The senior officer praised the \u201ccompassion, flexibility and teamwork\u201d displayed by his colleagues and said coronavirus was having a personal and professional impact.<\/p>\n
“Ensuring our people are appropriately protected is my highest priority<\/p>\n
\u201cBe assured that I am raising this through local government here in Northern Ireland on a daily basis and we are also trying to access other supply chains through our relationship within UK Fire and are working hard to ensure our people are prioritized for testing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese two areas will continue to be our focus over the next few days.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said socially distancing was more difficult for front-line firefighters responding to an incident and there was an increased risk.<\/p>\n
In response to the infection, some stations have been transformed into on-call only and others have been amalgamated, providing additional numbers during Covid-19 absences.<\/p>\n