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5 million euros worth of vital equipment destined for Valentia Coast Guards facility sitting in storage for 2 years

Extracts from Radio 1 Morning Ireland interview Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 7:51am

The issue here is that nearly 5 million euro worth of equipment which was purchased by the Coast Guard service a little less than 2 years ago is still sitting in boxes at the coast guard facility in Blanchardstown.

This communication equipment is used to coordinate the rescue of people in need of coast guard assistance on land and sea. It should have been installed in the Coast Guard’s Marine Rescue Coordination centers in Valentia and Malin

The equipment in both Valentia and Malin is dangerously obsolete; in 2007 the manufactures of it, Motorola, issued what is termed in the industry as Death Certificate which stated that “the equipment is liable to catastrophic failure at any moment”

Despite being aware of the current equipment’s certainty of failure at any time the coast guard have failed in its responsibilities. It is hard to understand why an organisation given the duty of protecting lives is knowingly putting them at risk

It has recently come to my attention that the warranty has now run out on the communications equipment in storage in Blanchardstown and it is my information that the coast guard service is paying thousands of euro every month to the manufacturers to maintain a warranty on idle equipment.

The equipment could be out of date before it is installed. I would have to call into question the competency of the people in charge of the coast guard service who buy equipment that is vitally needed but do not install it.

WHAT NEXT?

Ask the Minister with responsibility for the Coast Guard Service to ensure that the equipment is installed in Malin and Valentia as a matter of urgency because this is a matter of life and death.

I will be asking for the head of the coast guard service to come before the Oireachtas Committee to explain why an organisation given the responsibility of protecting lives is knowingly putting them at risk

Why is he allowing vital equipment sit in storage?

Why is tax payer’s money being paid to maintain a warranty on equipment that should have been installed years ago?