WE think of them as operating at high-speed, running, pushing gurneys and tackling life threatening situations.
But despite doing all of that and more, Ambulance Service personnel can actually have quite sedentary lifestyles, Medical Director of the National Ambulance Service (NAS) and Limerick man Cathal O’Donnell, told the LImerick Post.
Which is why the Adare man has been campaigning to get healthcare workers involved in a run and walk taking place this Sunday.
Cathal told the Limerick `post that while there are situations in which personnel are required to be quick on their feet “there are often long periods of sitting for drivers and for personnel doing along-distance assignment.
“We also have staff working in the National Emergency Operations Centres who can be sitting down for 12 hours at a time. We wanted them to focus a bit on their own health and wellbeing,” he said.
Cathal and his colleagues have recruited nearly 100 ambulance personnel to take part in the Garmin Great Ireland Run which takes part this coming Sunday, April 15 in the Phoenix Park.
The crew have been training twice a week. starting from the Ambulance centre in Dooradoyle.
“I do a bit of running myself so I’ll be running it. People are running and walking and a lot of them are brining their families.
“The idea was to get people doing something they might keep up after the race is over on Sunday,” Cathal said.
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