Contract tender change allays fears over future of south east's Coast Guard helicopter

Fears over the past week that the Waterford-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter base was under threat have been allayed by the Department of Transport.
The Department announced on Tuesday afternoon it will amend a tender to “specify the number and location of Search and Rescue (SAR) bases to reflect the existing configuration, namely four bases at Dublin, Shannon, Sligo and Waterford”.
The Department confirmed it would notify the market of the amendment to a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) relating to the procurement process for the Coast Guard aviation service.
This change follows after Oireachtas members from Tipperary and other South East counties sought Government assurances that the region’s Coast Guard Search & Rescue Service won’t be axed when the new contract for operating the Irish Coast Guard service is awarded.
What had sparked their fears was the former wording of the tender advertisement requiring a “minimum of three helicopters and one fixed-wing aircraft” but it did not specify how many bases should be used.
There are currently four Coast Guard helicopter bases in Dublin, Shannon, Sligo and Waterford.
Department responds
In a statement responding to the concerns of the South East’s politicians, the Department of Transport said the PQQ will now be amended to specify the number and location of Search and Rescue (SAR) bases to reflect the existing configuration, namely four bases at Dublin, Shannon, Sligo and Waterford.
“The amendment will ensure the delivery of wider Government policies concerning balanced and even distribution of State services and investment, particularly the needs of island and rural communities,” the Department added.
The Premier County’s TDs and senators united last week with colleagues in other South East counties in applying political pressure for the retention of the Waterford-based Coast Guard Search & Rescue helicopter service.
At a meeting to discuss the possible threat to the service, they agreed to write to Transport Minister Eamon Ryan seeking an urgent meeting with him about the future of the service that regularly rescues injured hikers from mountains in Tipperary and along its borders. It also assists with searches in this county for missing people and also provides rapid transport of people injured in accidents to hospital.
Concern
Independent Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath outlined that Oireachtas members had feared the Waterford service was vulnerable because it previously was a part-time base operating 10 hours a day but not at night before being upgraded to a 24-hour service.
“Tipperary has been hugely reliant on Rescue 117 helicopter to support the wonderful work of the South Eastern Mountain Rescue team and Carrick-on-Suir River Rescue.
“We have witnessed a number of very important rescues from our mountain ranges and from the River Suir in recent years.
“Every minute is vital for such rescues and the loss of the Waterford base would be detrimental,” Deputy McGrath continued.
The South Eastern Mountain Rescue Association also issued a statement highlighting the importance of the Coast Guard helicopter in Waterford.
The Association said it didn’t wish to comment on the tendering process for the new Irish Coast Guard helicopter contract but it stressed there was no doubt that the “exceptional levels of cooperation and collaboration that exist has saved lives”.
“A key factor in the success of many of our operations in the mountains has been the availability and quick response time of the search and rescue helicopter.
“A loss of this service to the South East would have been detrimental to search and rescue operations in the region that includes the Galtee, Knockmealdown, Comeragh, Slieve Bloom and Blackstairs Mountains,” it concluded.
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan explained to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland show last week that the Government would ensure the tender was handled in a “proper, organised way so that we get the best value and get the best service”.
“This is a life and death issue that we have to get right,” the Minister added last week.