Emergency services Article on Frontline to Finishline

Oct 13, 2020

Tuesday, 13 October 2020

Rescue Organisation Ireland – Charity Relay Walk “Frontline to Finishline” in aid of Alone & Pieta

Rescue Organisation Ireland (ROI) was formed in 2008 as an Emergency Services based national charity focused on providing an additional training outlet and platform for Road Traffic Collision and Trauma based incidents for Irish Emergency and Voluntary Service personnel. ROI is affiliated to the World Rescue Organisation and regularly organise and deliver CPC skills days and Challenges throughout Ireland. Our Committee members come from all corners of the country and have worked tirelessly to bring the focus of casualty centred training and rescue to operational emergency personnel nationally and internationally.

ROI has like many others postponed a number of its events, most notably the ROI Irish National RTC and Trauma Challenge which was set to take place in the Headquarters of Kildare Fire Service at Newbridge Fire Station on 18th April, although this has been postponed until 2021 along with a number of other events for the remainder of the year, as a registered charity ROI realises the impact COVID-19 was and is currently having on many other charities, so we decided to partner with our network of voluntary and emergency service personnel to help raise funds and awareness for Pieta and ALONE, both of which are doing lifesaving work and require support for the people they help through this challenging time.

As a result, ROI developed the Charity Relay Walk “Frontline to Finishline” where our volunteers walk in pairs in single file wearing their uniform or turn-out kit holding a social distancing 2m sign from Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford finishing off up the east coast of Wicklow in Bray over 6 days from 22nd to 27th June. The walk was conducted taking account of government restrictions and the roadmap for reopening society and business; all volunteers involved in the walk were local and passed the 2m baton along the route. No bucket collections were used as a precaution to avoid any cross-contamination and counting of monies by our volunteers. Instead we set up an i-DONATE Page www.idonate.ie/ROIFrontlineToFinishline , as well as text donations to the individual charity as the public decide. The i-DONATE collection raised a total of €11,000 which was subsequently split 50-50 between Pieta House and Alone.

On the 22^nd June 2020 Rescue Organisation Ireland started our planned charity relay walk “Frontline to Finishline” in aid of these two charities from Dublin Fire Brigade HQ, Tara Street. The launch of “Frontline to Finishline” was attended by representatives of all organisations with Anthony Byrne - ROI Vice Chair; Dennis Keeley, Chief Fire Officer, DFB; Sean Moynihan, Alone and Brian McEvoy, Pieta launching the walk.

A minute’s silence was held as a mark of respect for Garda Detective Colm Horkan, who died in the line of duty. The launch was attended by representatives of Dublin Fire Brigade, Dublin Civil Defence; An Garda Siochána; the National Ambulance Service; Dublin Airport Fire & Rescue Service. In total over the six days, 27 ROI members organisations that would have participated in this year’s National Challenge (Newbridge Fire station, Kildare), participated in the 360km walk ending in Bray Fire Station. Maintaining social distancing using a special ROI Baton we walked in relay each day passing the Baton to different representative organisation at approximately the 10km marker.

The volunteers who participated in “Frontline to Finishline” are as follows:

An Garda Síochána
Blessington Community First Responder Group
Carlow County Fire & Rescue Service
Dublin Airport Fire & Rescue Service
Dublin Civil Defence
Dublin Fire Brigade
Dunlavin Community First Responder Groups
HPMP
Irish Air Corp
Irish Coast Guard
Irish Red Cross
Kildare Fire Service
Kildare Civil Defence
Kilkenny Civil Defence
Kilkenny County Fire & Rescue Service
Laois County Fire & Rescue Service
Laois Civil Defence
National Ambulance Service
Order of Malta Carlow
Order of Malta Bray
RNLI
Wexford Civil Defence
Wexford County Fire & Rescue Service
Wicklow Civil Defence
Wicklow County Fire & Rescue Service
Waterford City/ County Fire & Rescue Service
Waterford Civil Defence

A sunny Day 1 we started off in DFB HQ in Dublin City Centre members walked through Dublin city passing the Baton to colleagues along the way as we walked to Tallaght following a short break more ROI members continued the relay to Naas Fire Station via Blessington.
A wet Day 2 brought “Frontline to Finishline” from Naas to Newbridge Fire Station the baton was then handed over for the next leg through Kilcullen and Dunlavin onto Baltinglass over the picturesque Kildare/ Wicklow border.
An early start on the morning of Day 3 in Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny following another picturesque route through Kilshen Co. Laois into Carlow town, day 3 had a second group commencing in Tullow Co. Carlow meeting relay walker from the Castlecomer/Carlow route in Ballon, following a short break the relay then walked through Kildavin to Bunclody, Co. Wexford.
Day 4 of the Walk commenced in Bunclody following a route through Enniscorthy onto Wexford Town, where the walkers received a sunny Wexford welcome as they arrived into the town down on Wexford Quays.
Day 5 saw a relaxing start in Gorey, Co. Wexford mid-morning, following the bustle of Gorey Town “Frontline to Finishline” wound its way through the country side to a fabulous reception that evening in Arklow Town, Co. Wicklow.
Another early misty start on Day 6 in Arklow, where walkers followed a route to Jack white’s Inn and handing over the baton to some energetic members who then ran the relay to Wicklow Town, the next leg of the relay brought “Frontline to Finishline” to Greystone’s with a lively reception by the Happy Pear who supported us, followed by a little break and fantastic reception with music from Johnny McEvoy and Garden County Radio in Greystones Fire Station the relay climbed out of Greystones on the final leg of the relay charity walk to a celebratory finale in Bray Fire Station. During the final day a separate walk also took place in Waterford City in support of the walk by members who couldn’t travel outside the 20km restriction, this fantastic support was given by Waterford City and County Fire Service and Waterford Civil Defence

Rescue Organisation Ireland would like to thanks all our participating Walkers Runner and especially our supporters throughout “Frontline to Finishline”. In 2021 we may return with another “Frontline to Finishline”

Thanking you,