Helicopter wreckage find gives rise to hope for recovery of missing Rescue 116 crew

Helicopter wreckage find gives rise to hope for recovery of missing Rescue 116 crew

By Maurice Garvey

HOPE continues that the bodies of Ballyfermot man Paul Ormsby and his colleagues Mark Duffy and Ciarán Smith will be recovered, after the wreckage of Rescue helicopter R116 was discovered on Tuesday.

A remotely-operated vehicle confirmed the discovery of the Sikorsky S92 about 60m off Blackrock Island. The R116 is believed to have hit the island before crashing into the sea.

Paul Ormsby House Ballyfermot 16032017

In the aftermath of the tragedy, questions have been raised about the resources available to the Air Corps, with reports of “brain drains” of specially trained personnel dramatically reducing the Defence Forces ability to provide minimal responses.

The brain drain is a consequence of negative morale resulting from a re-organisation programme carried out by the Department of Defence in 2013.

Leading defence insiders say the problem requires a joining-up of all stakeholders.

Declan Power, Security Analyst, and former member of the Defence Forces, trained under Paul Ormsby in open water survival course in Baldonnell 25 years ago, and said the Winchman “saved countless lives for 30 years.”

Mr Power, a former journalism tutor at Ballyfermot College of Further Education, said the tragedy has “shown up a gaping gap in our emergency cover within the Defence Forces and the Air Corps.”

Speaking on the Marian Finucane RTÉ Radio show on Sunday, Mr Power said the Air Corps has effectively been “reduced to a 9-5pm service.”

He said: “They have been eroded to the point that they haven’t got the specialist capacity to provide proper 24-hour cover, and that is because of a lack of grasp within government departments (Dept. of Defence and Dept. of Public Expenditure), because they have been foisting a management system developed to deal with austerity onto a non-standard service.”

The devastating cuts were brought into sharp focus after the Air Corps could not provide a fixed-wing patrol during the initial rescue mission that R116 was involved in, as they can only operate during office hours.

Both Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith are former Air Corps members.

Neighbours of Mr Ormsby (50) spoke again this week of a man who was so dedicated to his job that he “never took a day off” even when on leave.

Highlighting his good nature, neighbours John and Rita Cullen told The Echo how Paul raced from his home on Oranmore Road five years ago, to provide first-aid support to a little girl who had been knocked down on her bike.

“He was brilliant, and when the ambulance arrived, Paul went straight to the different compartments, getting the girl what she needed,” said John Cullen.

Mr Power said Paul was already a fully-fledged member of the State’s only Air Corp’s Search and Rescue (SAR) Heli Squadron at the time he trained under him.

“He was a lovely guy to have as an instructor,” said Mr Power.

“What people don’t always realise, we hear about the pilots, but the winch crews, they call themselves the ‘dopes on the ropes’, they have to get out of the aircraft and into the sea.

“Paul Ormsby was doing a job for 30 years, as a winchman, winch operator, and highly trained paramedic. They are an essential link, because the pilot can’t see when the winchman is put down to the deck, or if the rotor is half a foot away from the cliffside.”

Mr Power said there needs to be a “better synergy and working process” to properly resource the Defence Forces.

“Other smaller countries can do it better, why don’t we steal their ideas and mould them to our needs,” he said.

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