The Cork City Division would like to congratulate all participants who competed in the Cork City Marathon of 2010. This event is a favourite duty among our volunteers due to the spirit of the competitors who brave 26.2 miles in Irish weather, and the enthusiasm of the crowd who line Patrick Street to welcome their heroes home.

We were delighted to work alongside members of the Civil Defence, Order of Malta, Irish Red Cross, West Cork Rapid Response, HSE Ambulance Service and the Gardai in providing first aid along the course and a field hospital near the end of the route.

Response to each medical related incident was co-ordinated from a unified command nerve centre set up in a hotel on Patrick Street, thus ensuring there was seamless interaction between organisations in providing each and every individual case with appropriate and timely care.

The finish line field hospital, which consisted of a 10 bed treatment facility under tents, was supplied and equipped by the St. John Ambulance Brigade of Ireland. On the day, this facility was manned by unpaid volunteers from the four voluntary organisations and  doctors from the West Cork Rapid Response Team. We believe this type of facility is a crucial evolution in providing medical cover to large events. It allows us to triage and treat casualties on site, alleviating a potential burden on Accident and Emergency Departments at local hospitals.

Our headquarters on Victoria Road hosted the pre-race briefing for all medical related personnel, and was then used as a first aid post for the event itself.

Among the fleet of emergency vehicles operating on the day, St. John Ambulance, Cork City, had three ambulances and an off road response vehicle. The Crumlin Division provided an ambulance at the finish line.

The Cork City Division was joined by members from four other divisions of the St. John Ambulance Brigade of Ireland with people travelling from every part of the country, from Cork to Belfast.

Our volunteers would like to thank the members from the other organisations we had the opportunity of working alongside on the day, and express the hope that this type of collaboration can take place at other events in the future.

The St. John Ambulance Brigade of Ireland is a registered charity that is dedicated to the vision of ensuring that everyone should have immediate access to first aid no matter where they are or what they are doing at the onset of illness or injury. To this end, our unpaid volunteers provide first aid at hundreds of events through-out Ireland every year, and we have trained thousands of members of the public to render first aid.