STAFF at the Northern Ireland Air Ambulance have been praised for their professionalism following an incident near the Waterworks at the weekend.
Onlookers looked on in surprise as the distinctive red helicopter landed in the Westland area of the Waterworks on Saturday afternoon.
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said the Air Ambulance was responding to a medical emergency incident at a nearby private residential address.
North Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín praised the Air Ambulance crew who responded to the incident.
Training is an integral part of the HEMS service, consultants & paramedics replicate real-life trauma emergencies in their daily training scenarios to ensure they are ready for every possible eventuality when tasked 🚁 @NIAS999 pic.twitter.com/l8GWEBcLlm
— @AirAmbulanceNI (@AirAmbulanceNI) August 1, 2021
“On Saturday afternoon the Air Ambulance was called to a medical emergency at the Westland area of North Belfast,” she explained.
“The helicopter was seen hovering very low over the Oldpark area before making a landing in the Waterworks Park near the fire station much to the amazement of park users.
“The grassy area on which the crew landed the helicopter is above the top pond and near to a children’s play park.
“I would like to commend the professionalism of the Air Ambulance crew who are doing a great job on a daily basis across the North.
“This is a rare sight and people were quite stunned to see an emergency reaction like this at first hand.
“The Air Ambulance and its crew do vital work, however it is unusual to see them in action in an urban environment.”
