ESB staff rescue six people from Poulaphouca Reservoir

On wednesday 19th July at 5.40 pm, the ESB boat at the Poulaphouca Reservoir was involved in the rescue of four adults and two children after their fishing boat capsized. The Gardai at Blessington had called for the assistance of the ESB boat, after they received reports of people in distress in the Tulfarris area of the reservoir, contacting Declan Hendrick in the Control Room, and Eamonn Murray, who was working in the area at the time.

Staff member Patsy O'Brien was contacted and brought the ESB boat from Poulaphouca Station to Russellstown Park to be launched where he was joined by Eamonn Murray. Within four minutes of launching the boat they had arrived at the scene of the incident and were able to retrieve the two children and four adults from the water. While four of the individuals had managed to remain with their upturned boat, two others had become separated and so time was of the essence.

Thankfully, everyone was safely rescued, all were suffering from shock and were attended to by a paramedic on the shore. Speaking after the incident, Pat Naughton, Manager, ESB Hydro stations, congratulated everyone involved on the role they played. "There is no doubt that the two major factors in the success of this rescue were the speed with which our ESB staff responded to the call for assistance, and their water rescue skills in dealing with the six individuals involved. They deserve our thanks for their quick thinking and courage on the day, they played a major part in ensuring that this incident ended happily." PowerGeneration