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Athens · Feb 15, 2005, 04:55 PM

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/eu....ap/index.html

Airport sorry for ambulance clamp

Tuesday, February 15, 2005 Posted: 1241 GMT (2041 HKT)

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) -- Ireland's major airport pledged Tuesday not to clamp any more ambulances -- after one was disabled while trying to ferry a seriously injured passenger to a Dublin hospital.

Saturday's clamping of the ambulance at Dublin International Airport made front-page news Tuesday and fanned public anger at clampers in Ireland's capital, where the practice was introduced in 1997.

City authorities said this was the first known case of a clamped ambulance.

At the airport, police use clamps to enforce a no-parking rule outside the arrivals entrance and instead require cars to use a nearby multistory parking lot. Clamps are similar to boots used in the United States to immoblize vehicles.

But on Saturday, an ambulance was clamped even though it was parked in a section reserved for emergency crews immediately outside the entrance.

David Hall, owner of the privately run Life Line Ambulances Ltd., said his company's 18 ambulances had used the airport emergency-parking area for the past six years "all the time" without trouble.

"It's mind-blowing," Hall said. "No inquiries were made about the patient, to find out how acutely ill they were before the clamp was applied."

Hall declined to identify the patient or illness, but said the episode had distressed the patient and embarrassed the ambulance crew.

Irish media identified the patient as a man in his 30s who had been badly injured while on a skiing vacation.

"The airport police could have easily made a phone call to the owner of the company -- me -- if there was a problem," Hall said. "You don't just apply a clamp to an ambulance on an experimental basis."

The police also refused to accept the ambulance company's credit card to pay the 63 euro ($82) fine. Instead, paramedics were required to withdraw their private cash from an automated teller machine.

Dublin Airport Authority spokeswoman Siobhan Moore said the event was "deeply regrettable."

Moore said police clamped the vehicle because it had remained for about 30 minutes in the emergency area, which was supposed to be reserved for what she called "life or death cases" involving immediate pickups.

But she said airport managers would refund the charge and review policies to ensure that an ambulance wasn't clamped again.

ASIMO · Feb 15, 2005, 05:01 PM

Indeed. When I think Europe, I think Dublin International Airport.

Shaddim · Feb 15, 2005, 05:05 PM

That's the reason why a buddy of mine, who lives in London, keeps a cutting torch in the boot. He's cut off about 3 or 4 clamps over the last few years.

paully dub · Feb 15, 2005, 05:07 PM

I hope I never need an ambulance in south central LA because 911 is a joke, boooyyyyy.

The Irish are Europeans? I never even realised it.

::smacks forehead::

Athens · Feb 15, 2005, 05:12 PM

Originally posted by paully dub:
I hope I never need an ambulance in south central LA because 911 is a joke, boooyyyyy.

The Irish are Europeans? I never even realised it.

::smacks forehead::

Are you saying the Irish are Asian or American? LOL how bad is 911 in LA, just wondering

turtle777 · Feb 15, 2005, 05:13 PM

Originally posted by MacNStein:
That's the reason why a buddy of mine, who lives in London, keeps a cutting torch in the boot. He's cut off about 3 or 4 clamps over the last few years.

Soon to be standard equipment for ambulances as well...

-t

paully dub · Feb 15, 2005, 05:21 PM

Originally posted by Athens:
Are you saying the Irish are Asian or American? LOL how bad is 911 in LA, just wondering

Heavy sarcasm and Flava Flav' reference totally missed.

Boy doy I feel old.

:sigh:

Sherwin · Feb 15, 2005, 06:24 PM

No need to worry around here - they've mooted plans to put defibrillators on trash trucks. So if I'm planning to have a heart attack I'll have to do it on a Friday morning when the trusty trashmen are collecting my trash. Clamp them ambulances all you like - I've got trashman backup!

Simon X · 09:04 AM

---

effgee · Feb 15, 2005, 06:49 PM

Or god forbid in Asia.

analogika · Feb 15, 2005, 08:25 PM

Originally posted by ASIMO:
Indeed. When I think Europe, I think Dublin International Airport.

My thoughts exactly.

Moronic Thread Title of the Day Award.

fireside · Feb 15, 2005, 10:34 PM

what do they mean when they say 'not to clamp ambulances'?

villalobos · Feb 15, 2005, 10:52 PM

Originally posted by MacNStein:
That's the reason why a buddy of mine, who lives in London, keeps a cutting torch in the boot. He's cut off about 3 or 4 clamps over the last few years.

They must have really wimpy clamps in the UK then if he can cut them off with a torch....

Sherwin · Feb 15, 2005, 10:54 PM

Originally posted by fireside:
what do they mean when they say 'not to clamp ambulances'?

At the airport, police use clamps to enforce a no-parking rule outside the arrivals entrance and instead require cars to use a nearby multistory parking lot. Clamps are similar to boots used in the United States to immoblize vehicles.

Fortunately, help is at hand...

(Edit: OK, why are inline images broken?)

sugar_coated · Feb 15, 2005, 11:05 PM

Sometimes law enforcers can be very unrealistic!

fireside · Feb 15, 2005, 11:06 PM

Originally posted by Sherwin:
Fortunately, help is at hand...

(Edit: OK, why are inline images broken?)

oh, i get it. thanks

bstone · Feb 16, 2005, 01:16 AM

And is all about cops who pull over, ticket and TOW AWAY an ambulance.

this thread

PurpleGiant · Feb 16, 2005, 02:07 AM

Originally posted by Sherwin:
(Edit: OK, why are inline images broken?)

The brackets. It hates the brackets.

Sherwin · Feb 16, 2005, 10:01 AM

Originally posted by PurpleGiant:
The brackets. It hates the brackets.

Arh. Thanks PG.

Oisín · Feb 16, 2005, 10:14 AM

Originally posted by bstone:
And is all about cops who pull over, ticket and TOW AWAY an ambulance.

this thread

Oh yeah, whatever happened to that story? Or rather, what happened to the cop? Did he get reprimanded/fired/shot/put in a 2x3 inch space shuttle and sent off to Jupiter's sixth moon?

bstone · Feb 16, 2005, 10:18 AM

Originally posted by Ois�n:
Oh yeah, whatever happened to that story? Or rather, what happened to the cop? Did he get reprimanded/fired/shot/put in a 2x3 inch space shuttle and sent off to Jupiter's sixth moon?

In Chicago you don't become a cop unless you have a relative who is high-ranking. All about the clout. He got slapped with a wet noodle.

Oisín · Feb 16, 2005, 10:26 AM

Originally posted by bstone:
In Chicago you don't become a cop unless you have a relative who is high-ranking. All about the clout. He got slapped with a wet noodle.

Truly inspires a sense of faith in the judicial system, doesn't it?

Shaddim · Feb 16, 2005, 10:59 AM

Originally posted by villalobos:
They must have really wimpy clamps in the UK then if he can cut them off with a torch....

It's quite a torch. Let's put it this way, if someone rear-ended his car, it could possibly take out half a city block.

He's a retired union welder, knows his stuff.

wdlove · Feb 16, 2005, 11:53 AM

Originally posted by Simon X:
I hope I never need an ambulance in the Americas.

I also hope that I will never need ambulance.