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THIS SATURDAY, HUNDREDS of emergency service personnel will parade through Dublin to celebrate their collaboration with one another and with the general public over the last year.
This is the third Frontline Emergency and Security Services Eire Forum (Fessef) parade and last year, some 600 firefighters, gardaí, prison officers, paramedics, Coast Guard volunteers and other frontline responders marched through Dublin’s city centre. This year there will be almost 1,000 of them.
“It’s thankfully growing year-on-year and this year in particular, we’ve looked at bringing in a couple of key themes – one is safety, so this year we have the RSA and Irish Water Safety with us,” explained Owen Medland, who is divisional operations manager for the RNLI.
The parade, which will also feature vehicles from each of the emergency services, will work its way from Parnell Square, down O’Connell Street and into Trinity College. There, small and big children alike will be able to climb aboard a fire truck or onto a lifeboat, try finger-printing with the garda forensics team or talk bomb disposal with members of the Defence Forces.
“The display on Saturday afternoon is very much about family, bring children along, let them get up close and personal. Every little boy or girl loves a fire engine, and the boats and everything,” Medland said.
Again this year, the voluntary organisation, which brings together all of the country’s major frontline emergency services, is supported by Dublin City Council and work hear company Helly Hansen.
Remembrance
In the evening, there will be a gala dinner with members of each of the services in attendance. The theme for the night will be ‘remembrance’, with tributes paid to members across the services who lost their lives in the line of duty.
A particular mention will be made of Caitríona Lucas, the Coast Guard crew member who died on Monday in Kilkee. There will be a minute’s silence for her and a spokesperson for the Coast Guard will make a speech about her contribution as a volunteer.
As the French ambassador Jean-Pierre Thébault has been invited as a guest to the event, there will also be a tribute to emergency workers in his country who have had to deal with a number of atrocities over the last 12 months.
“This particular grouping is all about friendship and partnership,” Medland said. “In the course of our duty, we end up interacting with one another in sometimes the most distressing situations and it’s an awful lot easier to deal with those and to provide the best level of service if there’s a familiarity between us.”
The parade will leave Parnell Square at 12pm this Saturday and there will be interactive displays and demonstrations on the grounds of Trinity College all day until 4pm.
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Hats off to all the student nurses out there
@geraldo: They are doing an absolutely amazing job, considering they are only young people in trainng to be health care professionals. And being unpaid for their work !
@geraldo: where will they cash that ???
As far away from these shores as possible while we slow clap them in our time of need.
@ray murphy: ah.. one who knows the cost of everything but the value of nothing. Not all expenditure is monitory.
@ray murphy: I’m not in a position to implement change so for now lll just show gratitude if that’s ok
Prehaps move nurses in management capacity, back to front line, this pandemic doesn’t operate on a 9to5
@herp: that’s what they are doing. Nurse managers already work in direct patient care
@clairebear: funny I doubt working nights, over Xmas, 9 to 5 some with their own self importance, meanwhile frontline decimated.
@herp: You’re wrong. I doubt you have a clue what’s going on.
@Hotirish: clairebear is totally correct
@herp: I’m a nurse I know what goes on. They might be mon-fri but they are running units and wards and yes they are actively out on the floor
@clairebear: yes like my statement said this pandemic isn’t 9to5 thousand of staff out sick, prehaps help on the frontline
@Hotirish: no I’m right instead of chat meetings holding folders, prehaps hold a hand
@herp: Doesn’t matter what you doubt. You didn’t know nurse managers are back in direct patient care and when informed you make an assumption about what hours they work. What’s wrong with just saying that you know nothing about it ? No shame in not knowing something.
@Tommy Roche: I guarantee that’s not the case
@clairebear: running them into the ground more like
@herp: *perhaps. I gave you the benefit of the doubt first time.
About time they pulled them. Far too many nurses in office jobs while we struggle on the ground.
@Adrienne O Kelly Byrne: how often do we see the CPCs? Once a week for a brief 30min chat.
This is completely unfair my training is vital for me to become the best nurse I can be before I head into my 4th year to become a intern.
We are a help not a hindrance!
@Cha Ni Bhráonáin: some hospitals with Covid everyone asked wear scrubs if on frontline dealing with patients, management don’t says it all
They are always at the heart of every health service & kudos to all these unsung heroes or A.K.A. The Nurses
@rendams: hats off to nurses, who’s praises are regularly sung, and rightly so!
The true unsung heroes are those who make it possible for the nurses to do their jobs; healthcare assistants, cleaners, caterers, ward clerks, supplies, clinical engineers, maintenance, etc, etc.
@rendams: and where will we cash those kudos ?!
@rendams: ah you forgot Healthcare assistant, cleaners, ect no i in team
@ray murphy: Geesh you are a bit of a broken record
Are siptu seriously arguing that these qualified nurses shouldn’t be redeployed during the current surge of cases? And are we really training student nurses who are “furious” that the first job of medics – to preserve lives – is being put before a short training placement? I’m really not sure what this “outraged” response from siptu says about them as a union or, if they are to be believed, their members. Somehow I suspect their “frustrated and furious” student nurse membership might actually consist of a single trade unionist student.
@Sara Davis: if they pay students as per last summer surely they would have more hands on deck?? Rather than delaying placement.. altho bright side is they don’t have to repay the time!
@Sara Davis: I don’t think they’re outraged because of the redeployment, more so that it was only decided the day before their placements were to start
The decision to cancel all placements is a mistake. Not all student nurses are working in general hospitals. My partner is a student physicatric nurse and had her placement was cancelled last night. She is training in a more community/residential setting and could easily carry on with it. She has only limited interaction with her official trainer ie a 5min phone call here n there. Last march her placement was cancelled to but was hired as a hca, this time around their saying its just for a 2 week period but this could really run on into the late spring be the numbers are down again and they could possibly return to training.
@Hugh Mc Donnell: supernumerary nursing students must be supervised by a registered nurse at all times on placement. Also, residential settings have coronavirus outbreaks frequently. No one should be expected to work unpaid with a risk to their health and their families health
@Slaney Cox: rubbish doesn’t happen.
@Hugh Mc Donnell: get over it. Far too dangerous in community setting s also
@ray murphy: well I’m on my final year of the degree and I always had a preceptor (teaching nurse) within the unit I am practicing in. But I suppose you are the expert
@Hugh Mc Donnell: my daughter is in 3rd year but not on placement in the next two weeks, but some of her fellow students are. Their worry is that they have made arrangements to be in the hospital working long full day shifts and some would have child care sorted and some have even to relocate while on placement and all this goes out the windows and, as I understand it, the placements have to be completed and signed off to pass each year and without the hours in the various areas you will not be given a pass, unless they change the requirement or have these placements later in the year after the existing scheduled placements.
Based upon what I heard 3rd years can contribute in a roll somewhere between HCA and nurse and I really cannot remember that much about 1st and 2nd year – but when someone calls “nurse, nurse” an student nurse can provide some of the comfort while waiting for a qualified nurse to attend if necessary.
@ray murphy: it is not dangerous in the settings my partner works at she has tested negative and vaccinations are been rolled out. Once good hygiene takes place along with ppe wearing everyone should be safe.
Meanwhile nursing interns are kept on the frontline and paid a measly €10 per hour
All nurses, carers and doctors are absolute fantastic and deserve so much more than this country can ever give them. Yes, student nurses should get paid for their work during this pandemic but this is also going to be the best training they will ever receive. The experience they are getting will be invaluable to them as they progress in their chosen career.
I know a nursing lecturer who has returned to the wards because she knows it the right thing to do. That’s where she is needed most. She cannot teach the student nurses what they can learn on the wards right now.
I could be wrong but have the unions not been saying for weeks that student nurses are not fully trained for the horrors of COVID on the front line (a fair point) so surely this is a sensible decision by the government that should be welcomed??
always moaning about something
Again we were last to know about it last night and only last week one of the hospitals made all their students quit their part time jobs because of cross contamination. Now they have no job and no placement. This happened to us last March so why they didn’t have a plan b is a joke. We have lost over 400 hours of clinical placement since last March. How are we going to be competent nurses and will we get any of the huge amount of money we pay back since we aren’t getting the education we are paying for? They knew I’m December the numbers were gigh so why not delay placements and send us out as HCAs to ease the pressure? We are always the after thought.
@Lauren Masterson: very true..
@Lauren Masterson: my partner just got her first covid jab how will she get the second when she will probably be sent to a different placement and and miss the roll out plus she hasn’t worked part-time for fear of picking up Covid-19 prior to her test. Are they permitted to start work elsewhere while the placements are cancelled?
@Lauren Masterson: with all due respect to you & your fellow student nurses I think the old fashioned method of Nurse Training was the best way for Student nurses to learn … 8 weeks in block ( in the classroom ) to learn the bare necessities & then onto the Wards to become part of the workforce …. to help look after patients & to learn from those above you , ie first year, second year & third year trainees + Staff nurses & Ward sisters , & two weeks in block x twice yearly .. There were no Carers in my day so total care of patients was up to all the nursing staff & worked very well.. Supernumerary nurses don’t benefit the patients are they are just on placement to Observe not to care for patients ..
What happened to all those people hired from “on call for Ireland”? Oh that’s right…it was only a PR stunt.
@Adam Conroy: back in Australia
Just to clarify these nurses aren’t solely teaching. They are staff already working on the wards who have a student attached to them. The reason for this is they see students as slowing down the staff. So this action won’t result in any extra staff on the wards.
@James Leonard: my understanding is that the CPCs will be redeployed to wards?? Who currently are not working on wards..
very difficult for student nurses. during my training we spent most of our time on wards . thats where the real learning is. very difficult situation for them to be in but necessary to use all the trained staff where needed. awful situation.
@Aoife Pedreschi: and we got paid as soon as we started working on the wards too
Just use and abuse them by the looks of it
We are all in this together,just some more than others, when it comes to pay and risk.
very difficult for student nurses. during my training we spent most of our time on wards . thats where the real learning is. very difficult situation for them to be in but necessary to use all the trained staff where needed. awful situation.
Smacks to me of a purely political move. I believe Sinn Féin were due to bring a motion to the Dail on Wednesday over the ongoing issue of student pay. Perhaps Minister Donnelly didn’t want or certainly need another bashing, wouldn’t do the government any favours eh
Where can we volunteer Please.
Total praise to all nurses and students helping out there.
Still baffled that student nurses are not paid in this pandemic, it’s bad enough nurses are not paid in normal circumstances but in a pandemic PAY THEM!
A two week break will be good to recharge the body so take it student nurses. U all deserve the breather
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