A major emergency drill is taking place at Sligo University Hospital this morning.
The simulation training involves the National Ambulance Service and the HSE responding to a gas explosion at a local hotel.
The fictional event is designed to test the response of the crews to an emergency as well as the internal structures of both organisations.
Hospital management has confirmed that there will be no impact to services at the facility but visitors can expect additional ambulance vehicles, personnel and casualty clearance station tents on site.
John Joe McGowan is the Chief Ambulance Officer for the West he says today's training is of huge benefit when responding to future call outs:
This exercise is really to test our major incident capacity
We're simulating that there will be 70 patients from the explosion
There all going to be facilitated and transported to Sligo University hospital
The use of emergency plans will see the use of other hospitals.
That's why we need to test the plans so that we're able to kick them in rapidly and run everything smoothly.
