Today we remember the 48 people who died and 214 people that were injured when a fire broke out in the Stardust nightclub in Artane, Dublin on Valentine's Day 1981. Today marks the 31st anniversary of the Fire which became known as the Stardust Fire.
Let us never forget them
A survey has shown that 74 per cent of Europeans do not know that the emergency phone number across the EU is 112. Ireland East MEP Mairéad McGuinness has voiced her concern that many EU citizens do not know the emergency number to call when travelling across the EU.
“This 112 European emergency number is reachable from fixed and mobile phones, free of charge, everywhere in the EU,” said Ms McGuinness. “It links the caller to the relevant emergency service [local police, fire brigade or medical services] and is available 24 hours a day.”
www.irishtimes.com
The Fire and Rescue Service are still trying to establish what caused a fire at a sawmill in Limavady. Fire crews remain at the scene of the blaze, which broke out early on Monday at the sawmill and separate storage unit on the Edenmore Road.
Nine appliances and 40 firefighters were involved in bringing the blaze under control. No-one was injured. A spokesperson for the fire service said said investigations into the cause will begin once the area is safe.
www.bbc.co.uk
Children from Belfast were left stranded in Londonderry at the weekend after the mini-bus they travelled in was burnt out. The bus was set alight in the early hours of Sunday morning as the children took part in a boxing tournament at the Bogside Community Centre. Fourteen people, including six children, connected with the Dockers Boxing Club had come on the bus. They had to travel back to Belfast in taxis at a cost of £75 per car.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control but the PSNI did not attend the incident because they had been attacked earlier in the evening by a crowd of youths and feared a similar situation arising. The mini-bus was on loan from a group from the Short Strand area of Belfast. The children, parents and coaches had no idea the bus was attacked while they were taking part in the cross-community boxing tournament. Paddy Fitzsimons, a coach at the Dockers Boxing Club, told Talkback he was disappointed with the police response.
"I phoned for the fire brigade and the fire brigade came and put it out," he said. "We phoned the police and the response was 'we don't go into that area' and we were left standing there for hours. "We had to order a taxi home. It was paid for by the Boxing Board of Derry. There was no youths when we went outside, there was no trouble. "In fact, later on there was an unmarked police car that came past us and they never stopped and just kept on driving away.
"They ( their Derry hosts) were shocked. They wanted to put us up in the City Hotel or even in their houses. "They were more than helpful, they couldn't get over it. It's never happened before in boxing." In a statement the PSNI explained why the decision not to attend the scene of the fire was taken. "Police were contacted by NIFRS regarding this incident. However, due to an earlier petrol bombing attack against police and reports of youths gathering in the area ground crews did not attend.
"The police helicopter was tasked to give an overview and police attended the area on Sunday morning at first light."
www.bbc.co.uk
The mother and son who died following a fire in their house in Co Meath were named locally yesterday as Michelle Gilbert (28) and Jack (6). Gardaí say they are treating the deaths as “a tragic accident” and confirmed that their bodies were discovered in the same bedroom by fire fighters called to the house on Saturday afternoon. “This was a terrible accident, there was nothing untoward, it is a heart-breaking situation,” said one garda.
Preliminary investigations suggest a small fire began in a sofa in a downstairs sitting room and that the smoke generated travelled upstairs and into the bedrooms. Postmortems were carried out yesterday and were expected to confirm they died of smoke inhalation. It is believed that a neighbour walking by the semi-detached house on Saturday at lunchtime noticed that the downstairs windows were blackened and alerted the authorities.
No flames were seen and it appears that all the damage was caused by smoke. Fire crews from Navan attended the scene and used hatchets to break into the front door. Traumatised family members, including her mother who lived in another part of the same estate, visited the house while the emergency services were there. “We thought the fire engines were here for something like a shed fire; we had no idea until later that anyone had died. We are stunned,” said Declan Kettle, chairman of the residents’ association.
Flowers were laid at the front door of the house yesterday. One neighbour said: “we passed the house on the way to and from the shop and we saw nothing . . . everybody is shocked. We didn’t see anything at all.” Next-door neighbour Tomasz Idzikowski said: “I heard nothing at all. I spent all day and night and heard nothing.” Mayor of Navan Anton McCabe said yesterday: “The circumstances of their death are unimaginable, it makes it so very hard to comprehend. You look for reasons for it and ways to prevent it happening again.” It is believed that the houses, which are between eight and 10 years old, each had two smoke alarms fitted.
Elaine Keogh / www.irishtimes.com
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Dublin City Council is to fill firefighter vacancies from within existing staff numbers after scrapping a panel of potential recruits, it has been claimed. Dublin Fire Brigade, which is funded by the council, will be hit by a raft of retirements at the end of the month. But any new recruits deemed necessary after February 29 will come from within the local authority, a spokesman for the panel members told the Herald. Father-of-two Conor Kilroy (33) said he and a group of other fire brigade candidates have now got together to seek a reversal of the decision.
Following a selection process that included rigorous aptitude tests and interviews in 2006 and 2007, a total of 190 out of "many thousands" of applicants were chosen. Five years later, 83 people have been drawn from this panel and are now in the role. "Due to the moratorium on recruitment in the public sector, the panel was extended on two occasions, leading us to believe it would be used in full," Mr Kilroy said. "In this timeframe, there has been no correspondence between DCC... to get information, members had to phone DCC, where we were drip-fed small amounts of non-official information," he added.
However, during his most recent call, he was told the recruitment resource was to be scrapped, said Mr Kilroy, who is from Blanchardstown. In a statement, he said: "In the past week... I was informed to my utter dismay that after five years of waiting patiently the panel was to be scrapped. "I have been informed that DCC now intend to fill future vacancies from within other Dublin City Council departments, leaving myself and 100 others completely disregarded." The council, which hires fire officers through its human resources department, did not comment at the time of going to press. A fire brigade spokesman said it had not been informed of any move to do away with the panel.
Cormac Murphy / www.herald.ie
The road between Clonoulty and Ballagh has been closed down this morning (Thursday) following the tragic death of a man in his early fiftes who died after an accident with with lorry. Fire and emergency personnel arrived on the scene and rendered assistance but were unable to revive the deceased. The road was closed off immediately and will remain closed for some time with the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) expected to attend to carry out an investigation.
The identity of the deceased, though known locally, has not yet been released until family members have been notified. The local community in and around Clonoulty are in a state of deep shock at the tragedy and are currently trying to rally round the deceased man’s family and friends to offer support.
www.tipperarystar.ie
A fire at a business premises in Londonderry is being treated as an arson attack, police have said. It was reported at 03:20 GMT on Wednesday at the premises on Rossdowney Road. Police said the fire was discovered at the back of a property in the area. A man was seen acting suspiciously in the area just after 03:00GMT. Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service also attended the scene. Police have appealed for anyone with information to contact them.
www.bbc.co.uk
A local pub had to be evacuated after its roof went on fire on Monday. The fire broke out at Stack’s bar on Thomas Street shortly before noon. Around 10 patrons fled the bar after a passerby notified the publican that the two-storey building’s roof had caught fire. It is believed that a fire started in the pub’s chimney which set the roof slates alight.
A crew from Castlebar fire station, ambulance personnel and gardaí attended the scene. Nobody was injured. It is the second unfortunate incident in the last year to afflict the pub, which is owned by Parke GAA manager Frank McHale. Last May thieves stole 12 barrels of Guinness from the pub ahead of the bank holiday weekend.
www.westernpeople.ie
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A man died yesterday when fire ripped through his rented home. The fire -- at a bungalow on Ash Street in Youghal, Co Cork -- was detected shortly after 11.30am. Two units of Youghal fire brigade raced to the scene and brought the blaze under control within minutes. The body of a man in his 40s was found in a back room. The man was pronounced dead at the scene by a local GP. A full post-mortem examination was scheduled to commence last night.
www.independent.ie
A passenger jet carrying 175 people was forced to make an emergency landing when its wheels failed to retract on take off. The problem with the landing gear on the Thomas Cook flight became apparent moments after the Airbus A320 left Belfast International Airport. The pilot of the Tenerife-bound aircraft alerted passengers to the issue before circling Lough Neagh for almost two hours to lose fuel. The holidaymakers were instructed how to brace themselves for an emergency landing. The plane landed safely at Belfast International with no injuries reported.
Full emergency procedures had been enacted at the airport with a fleet of ambulances, fire and police vehicles going to the site, around 20 miles from Belfast city, when the alert was raised. A helicopter from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) was scrambled to examine the undercarriage from the air. The aircraft was able to taxi to a stand when it landed and passengers disembarked without incident. A Thomas Cook spokesman said a replacement jet would take passengers on to Tenerife.
Uel Hoey from Belfast International Airport said emergency stand-by procedures had worked well. "We practise for these things twice a year, it's the kind of thing unfortunately in the aviation industry you have to practise for endlessly hoping that nothing transpires. From the point of the view of the airport and the external emergency services everything ran as expected when the alert was set in train. "We are glad it landed without incident and was able to taxi to the stand.
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Fire brigades from Tralee and Castleisland tackled a gorse fire last night in west Kerry. The alarm was raised around 20 to 10 last night in Stradbally. 4 appliances from Tralee and Castleisland including 2 fire brigades were tasked to the scene. The operation finished at 2 o'clock this morning.
www.radiokerry.ie
The Animal Rescue team attended an incident near the Drumcullion Road Ederny in County Fermanagh where a horse had become trapped in a ditch. Slings and airmats were used to prop up the animal while a vet sedated it. The horse was removed from the ditch uninjured.
www.nifrs.org
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Firefighters from Maghera and Magherafelt used 2 hosereel jets to extinguish a fire involving a bungalow and garage at Tirkane Road, Maghera. The son of the owner suffered slight burns to his hands while trying to deal with the fire, he did not attend hospital.
www.nifrs.org
A 92 year old woman was led to safety by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus after a fire occurred in the kitchen of her bungalow in Sackville Court in the Millfield area of Belfast on Saturday evening (4/2/12). She was given oxygen treatment by crews but refused to go to hospital. A smoke alarm was actuating at the scene.
www.nifrs.org
An elderly woman was carried from the first floor bedroom by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus after a fire in the ground floor kitchen of a semi-detached house on the Upper Newtownards Road, Strandtown in East Belfast. A main jet and a hosereel jet were used to extinguish the fire. The woman was treated for smoke inhalation by ambulance personnel, but she declined to attend hospital. Smoke alarms had been fitted in the property but had failed to operate due to poor positioning. Two new fire detectors were installed and fire safety advice given to the woman's daughter on scene.
www.nifrs.org
The residents of a detached house in Sandyknowes Park, Glengormley were awakened in the early hours of Friday morning (3/2/12) when a smoke alarm sounded. A 58 year old man and a 61 year old woman had vacated the house, but the woman returned to the house to rescue their pet dog. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the property and found the woman unconscious on the first floor.
They rescued the woman and also had to revive the man who was having breathing difficulties from the result of having breathed in smoke. Firefighters were also able to rescue the dog from the property. A main jet, a hosereel jet and a covering jet were used to deal with the fire. Both casualties required further hospital treatment.
www.nifrs.org
A fire in a small hayshed spread to an adjoining building at a farm on the Knockcairn Road, Dundrod in County Antrim Friday evening (3/2/12). Extra resources were required to deal with the blaze which involved a quantity of hay, 2 cars and a van. Acetylene cylinders were also effected by the fire which added to the difficulty of bringing the fire under control. One of the cylinders exploded but thankfully there were no injuries to personnel dealing with the incident. A number of horses stabled nearby also had to be moved to safety. Appliances and officers remained at the scene for over 15 hours to ensure a safe conclusion to the operation.
www.nifrs.org
It took six fire brigade units to bring a blaze at a city-centre Dublin office under control yesterday. The fire broke out at a solicitor's office on Lower Camden Street on the top floor of a three-storey building shortly before 11am. The road was closed at 11.05 forcing motorists to avoid the area, and caused major traffic disruption with the street not reopening until 3.30pm.
Dublin Fire Brigade said nobody was injured in the fire. The front roof of the building was destroyed and the top floor was badly damaged. Dublin Bus services going into the city were diverted via Hatch Street, Earlsfort Terrace, St Stephen's Green, Dawson Street and back on to normal routing. It is not known how the blaze broke out.
Colm Kelpie / www.independent.ie
CLICK HERE for Camden Street Fire Page Photos
A young man who was visiting home from Australia was killed in a horrific crash with a lorry yesterday. Aaron Duggan (22), from Portlaw, Co Waterford, had come home for a holiday to see his friends and family when tragedy struck. The young man was due to return to Australia shortly, but he was killed in the smash at around 2.50am yesterday.
Mr Duggan died after his car collided with an articulated lorry -- and went up in flames at Ballyshunnock in Kilmacthomas -- a short distance from his home. There was nobody else inside the car when the accident happened. The driver of the lorry was rushed to Waterford Regional Hospital to be treated for minor injuries. Waterford County Mayor Liam Brazil said the community was saddened by the death of the young man.
"He was only home for Christmas and was due to go back to Australia next week," he said. Officers are appealing to anyone who travelled along the route around the time of the crash to contact Tramore garda station on 051 391620.
www.independent.ie
A couple had a lucky escape last Thursday evening when a explosion ripped through their apartment at Wilton Manor, Rathnew. The explosion happened around six o'clock on Thursday evening (2/2/12). Fire crews from Rathdrum and Wicklow attended the incident and evacuated the nearby homes close to the incident.
Residents were allowed back into their homes after investigators from Bord Gais turned off the gas and said they would carry out a inspection the following morning. The emergancy services left the scene at 9 o'clock. No one was injured in the incident, gas will remain off in the estate.
An Bord Gais confirmed the following morning that the cause of the explosion in Rathnew was not caused by gas. It was first thought the explosion was caused by a gas leak but investigators found the cause of the blast was a pressurized container.
www.wicklownews.net
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Firefighters from Dundalk Fire and Rescue spent two hours tackling a fire at an apartment above the Deli Lites premises on Park Street on Monday night. They responded to the call at 7.26pm, with two appliances attending at the scene. Firefighters wore breathing apparatus as they brought the fire under control.
There was considerable damage to the upstairs portion of the premises, which was unoccupied at the time, and Park Street was closed off for a period while they tackled the blaze. Gardai are investigating the circumstances of the incident.
www.argus.ie
A woman is in a serious condition in hospital following a house fire in Bray early Saturday morning. Bray fire service attended the fire at Ard Na Graine off the Boghall road just after 4am.
It is not yet known how the fire started.
Meanwhile Gardai in Baltinglass are investigating a housefire in Carrignamuck close to the village of Knockananna, a unoccupied house was destroyed by fire on Friday night Gardai forensics carried out a examination on Saturday. Anyone who may have information or witnessed the fire can call the Gardai in Baltinglass on 059 648 1022
www.wicklownews.ie
Staff at Carlow’s largest entertainment complex were evacuated after a fire on Friday morning. It is believed a small fire started at the Dinn Rí premises but was brought quickly under control after a number of units from Carlow Fire Service attended the scene.
“I was going to work on Friday morning at about 9am and saw all of the staff gathered outside in Haddens car park. There were three or four fire trucks there, too; they seemed to have things under control,” said a passer-by. Luckily, there did not appear to be any lasting damage to the premises, which was open for business as usual for the remainder of the weekend.
Mairead Wilmot / www.carlow-nationalist.ie
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Dublin City Council is to move council tenants from an apartment complex in Temple Bar because of fire safety concerns. The Council has said it will spend almost €3m on remedial works at Crampton Buildings, a protected Victorian flat complex, that comprises 36 apartments.
Most of the flats in the complex have bedrooms that can only be accessed through the living room, which contravenes modern fire safety regulations. The residents will be rehoused in nearby Council properties while the refurbishment is carried out.
www.breakingnews.ie
There is considerable traffic disruption on the Tralee- Dingle road following a crash in the past half hour. The single vehicle collision happened at half past eight near Curraheen. Tralee Gardaí says traffic is disrupted especially for vehicles coming from Dingle. It's not known how many people were in the vehicle and their condition. Gardaí say it's not possible to estimate how long traffic will be affected for.
www.radiokerry.ie
Holmatro cutting equipment was used to free a man aged in his mid 20s from his vehicle after a 2 car head on collision on the Hilltown Road outside Mayobridge in County Down. Four other casualties were out of their car before the arrival of NIFRS resources. Oxygen was administered to the injured persons prior to the arrival of ambulances which then transported all 5 casualties to hospital.
www.nifrs.org
Local firefighters treated two occupants of a detached bungalow who had suffered smoke inhalation as a result of a fire in the kitchen of the property just after 10pm Sunday evening. The man and woman aged 34 and 23 years were taken to hospital for further treatment. An actuating smoke alarm had alerted the occupiers to the danger in the house at Derrytresk Road.
www.nifrs.org
The garda ombudsman is investigating the circumstances surrounding a crash involving a garda 4x4 jeep and another car last night. The collision occurred at around 11pm near Askeaton in Co Limerick. Three male gardaí and two men travelling in the other car are being treated at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Anyone with information can contact the office of the Garda Ombudsman on 1890 600 800.
www.breakingnews.ie
Gardaí in Galway are today investigating the circumstances of a fatal single-vehicle road accident in Galway city on Saturday morning. The collision occurred at approximately 3.30am on the Seamus Quirke Road. The three occupants of the car were taken to Galway University Hospital, where the driver, a 19-year-old-female, was pronounced dead.
The two other occupants, a 21-year-old male and an 18-year-old female are being treated for their injuries at Galway University Hospital. The road is closed to facilitate a forensic collision examination and diversions are in place. Witnesses or anyone with information is asked to contact the gardaí in Mill Street Garda station on 091 538000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
www.breakingnews.ie
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An elderly man has died in a house fire in Co Mayo’s Inver. The blaze broke out at a house at Gortmelia this morning. His body removed to Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar for a post-mortem. The scene has been preserved for technical examination and Gardaí say they are not treating the fire as suspicious.
www.irishindependent.ie
A 51 year old female was rescued by a firefighter search team from a fire at her home in St Mary's Street and taken to hospital by ambulance. The fire, which was in the living room of the terraced property, was extinguished with the use of a hosereel jet. Smoke alarms had not been fitted in the house.
www.nifrs.org
Firefighters administered oxygen to the 21 year old occupier of a house in Bluebell Avenue after he inhaled smoke during a fire at his home. He was taken to hospital by ambulance for further treatment. The fire, which had started in the living room of the semi-detached property, was extinguished with the use of two hosereel jets.
www.nifrs.org
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Gardaí in Ballaghadereen are investigating a fire at a van in the town overnight. The transit van was parked at Druumacoo when the incident happened. Units of the fire brigade attended the blaze. No one was in the van and there were no injuries. The scene has been sealed off for investigation this morning.
www.shannonside.ie
An 18 year female and a 1 year child were taken to the RVH following an early morning fire at their home in Hollybrook Avenue. The female had been rescued from the premises by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus whilst the baby had been saved by a neighbour. A 46 year old male who was also on the premises suffered smoke inhalation and was given oxygen at the scene. The fire, which was in the hallway of the property was extinguished by a hosereel jet.
www.nifrs.org
A well developed fire in the bathroom of a three storey terrace house in University Street in the Botanic area of Belfast required a main jet, a hosereel jet and a ventilation fan to deal with the incident. Two male occupants were given oxygen treatment by NIFRS personnel but did not require further medical assistance. An actuating smoke alarm had alerted the two men to the danger.
www.nifrs.org
A fire at an apartment in the town is being treated as suspicious. The fire broke out at the apartment in Lower Barrack Street at around 2am on Monday morning 23/01/2012. A local man in his late 20s had to be rescued from the unit above Gavin’s opticians. The man, the sole occupant of the apartment, was taken to Mayo General Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. He has since been discharged. The fire, which is believed to have started in the hallway of the building, caused smoke damage. A technical examination of the scene has been carried out and a number of items removed for further investigation.
www.westernpeople.ie
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A number of police officers have been taken to hospital after a fire at the PSNI complex at Lisnasharragh. None of the individuals are believed to have been seriously injured. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the relevant agencies. The Fire and Rescue Service have described the fire as "minor".
www.bbc.co.uk
A man's body has been recovered after a car left the road and crashed into Newry canal. The man is believed to have been aged in his 60s. The accident happened at about 13:50 GMT on Wednesday on the Fathom Line just outside the city. Police, a specialist dive team, firefighters and ambulance crews were sent to the scene. The road was closed but has since reopened.
There have been similar crashes on the road in the past. Newry Mayor Charlie Casey said: "There is a history with that road. There have been a number of incidents and a number of near misses." He added that the victim "seems to be a local man, although his name hasn't been released."
www.bbc.co.uk
Firefighters led a 59 year old male to safety and administered oxygen following a fire in their flat at a four storey sheltered housing scheme in Claremont Street. Twenty residents were evacuated from the premises, as a precaution due to smoke, as firefighters extinguished the blaze using two main jets and a hosereel jet. It is believed the fire was caused by smoking materials.
www.nifrs.org
A 50 year old female was led to safety by firefighters and police officers after fire broke out in an attic flat on Upper Dunmurry Lane early this morning. She was treated at the scene by ambulance personnel before being taken to the RVH. Fire crews wearing breathing apparatus used one main jet to deal with the blaze, which was in the kitchen of the conversion flat. Investigations are ongoing as to the cause of the fire.
www.nifrs.org
Two Gardai were among those taken to hospital following a two-car collision on Saturday night last at Monasteraden. The collision occurred just after midnight when a garda car was in collision with another car, which was coming in opposite direction. There were five people in the other car. All were removed to hospital but it's understood none had serious injuries. A Garda spokesperson said the Garda car was not in pursuit of any vehicle at the time. The cause of the crash is being investigated.
www.sligochampion.ie
A car fire in a Dundalk estate is being treated as suspected arson after gardai on mobile patrol came across the blaze. The fire was reported to have started in a wheelie bin outside a house in Garrybawn, which then spread to a car parked nearby. Gardai on patrol discovered the blaze at 3 a.m. on Thursday last, and alerted Dundalk Fire Service.
Residents of the house were evacuated, as were people living in the adjoining home. Firefighters brought the blaze under control, but significant damage was caused to the back of the vehicle. A garda spokesman said they are 'following a line of enquiry' in relation to the incident, and are examining CCTV footage from the area.
He said door to door enquiries were being carried out, and gardai are appealing for anyone with information relating to the fire to contact them on 042 93 35577 or the confidential telephone line - 1800 666 111.
www.argus.ie
A transatlantic British Airways flight diverted and made an emergency landing at Shannon Airport last Tuesday night after the smell of smoke was detected on board. The Chicago bound flight left London after 7pm and an hour later was forced to land in the Mid West after cabin crew and passengers noticed the smell.
A BA statement said that they "apologise to customers on the BA297 flight which diverted as a precaution". The aircraft was tended to by local firebrigade units and a replacement aircraft was flown to Shannon and left again after 2am to resume its onward journey.
Andrew Carey / www.limerickpost.ie
Sitting in the control booth of Navan Fire Station, which he knows so well, station officer Alfie Kavanagh, one of the country's longest-ever serving firefighters, is looking back on his career prior to his retirement this Friday after 42 years as a fireman. "I joined in 1970, as a part-time fireman. I've been the fire station officer for 32 years here in Navan. The technology has all changed during the time I've been here we've seen hydraulic equipment for road traffic accidents, imaging cameras - beforehand it was obviously much more manual," he says. "Dealing with road accidents was never the job of the fire service originally.
It's just the ambulances had no-one else to call - that was for hacksaws and crowbars to rescue people. Now it's hydraulic spreaders and cutters but the job is still the same: rescuing people."
When, in 1970, he saw an ad in the Meath Chronicle for a part-time fireman, he was a cabinet-maker on the "wrong" career path. It was certainly a safer one. "Looking back now, we've dealt with air crashes, train crashes, lived through explosions, fought the two castle fires - Slane and Killeen," he recalls. He certainly wasn't doing it for the money. His first ever pay packet he returned to the council, thinking it a mistake that part-time firemen were paid.
For the 1991 fire at Slane Castle, which took a third of the castle with it, Alfie Kavanagh and "every pump in the county" fought the blaze for three days and three nights before the embers were finally extinguished. They certainly earned their corn on that 'shout'. "It had taken hold of the castle when we arrived and we had seven units on shifts around the clock - three days and nights. The biggest element of those fires, Slane and Killeen, is the logistics of it. The scale of those operations were the biggest demands - exhausting logistics. Dealing with a castle that's on fire, it's a major, major operation. Slane was the biggest of the lot," says Alfie.
But Slane didn't represent the more immediate threat to people that a simple gas leak at a Navan bakery did two decades ago. Spicer's, the Navan bakery, was a scene where just minutes separated life and death. "We got a call about a gas leak. There had been a few gas explosions around the town at that time. We arrived at the car park, maybe around 20 cars in the car park in a gas cloud and you could just see the roofs of the cars. "In the middle of that, there were four workers standing in the middle of the gas cloud talking to each other, not realising that there was this danger of an explosion. The funny part of it was I remember telling the manager that the bakery should be evacuated immediately, that an explosion was imminent and his concern was that "the bread had to go out tomorrow". I told him that he wouldn't have a bakery tomorrow!" The manager relented and took the station officer's advice.
"The explosion took place as the last worker was leaving and he was caught by some flying plaster. After the explosion, about twenty cars were on fire, it had smashed the windows on the fire engine. We were lifted off our feet, it broke windows down off Flower Hill Bridge and Loreto Convent as well. It was huge. In all honesty, without brigade involvement or had someone called three minutes later, I'd say the town would have seen its biggest tragedy - the biggest loss of life it ever had." He refuses to call it the most dangerous call-out the brigade has ever had and switches to another incident to illustrate the variety of call-outs the local fire service receives. "One thing I remember was a call-out for a guy trapped 20 or 30 feet down a well," he says. "He was trapped down there and I went down on a ladder to reassure him that everything was going to be okay. He was trapped in the silt in the well. I said I would stay with him until we got him out.
"I said to him 'now that I'm staying with you, have you any other worries?' I remember him saying 'Just one, the liners on the well are all slipping and I think it's going to collapse.' That was over in Trim and he was maybe four hours down there. He had been cleaning the well." The silt had acted like quicksand to grab the legs of the stranded man. "We then used high-pressure hoses in and around his legs to control the quicksand and used ropes to get him out. The challenge then was that we might have flooded the well. "I remember seeing the tops of the helmets when I looked up and said to myself 'what am I doing down here?'. We got out and, after that, while I was putting him on the stretcher some guy handed him a bottle of whiskey. I had to laugh. He was being put in the ambulance while taking a drink. But that's the job. I don't think there's a call we haven't dealt with."
Some of the fonder memories come from achieving high standards and through the camaraderie of the service. He cites being one of only eight road traffic instructors in the 1990s qualified to judge fire services from all over the world, Navan Fire Station winning the national road traffic accident competition, being the first Irish fire officer ever to judge a British service and when Navan went to the world championships on a former RAF base, the flying of the Tricolour in their honour. The Slane riots ("a full scale attack") and the dreadful 2005 Kentstown bus crash tragedy ("the great sadness of so many taken away so quickly") represent two darker memories of his 42 years but he has no hesitation in recommending the fire service for its "obsession to service the community".
"There's a saying that 'if you love your job, you'll never work a day in your life'. If that's the case, I've never worked a day in my life," says Alfie. "It's a unique job, you get a special type of person in the fire service. It's one of the last frontiers. "It's also one of the few jobs where people are running from danger while you are running towards it." Alfie Kavanagh leaves the service this Friday to concentrate on his security firm, Province 5 Security. If he could, though, would he stay on? "I feel at this stage, without sounding bad, that I've done enough and it is time to move on. People forget that in life and in the service that it's so easy to die. Life is short, it's not forever, so when you get a chance of good days, take them."
Paul Neilan / www.meathchronicle.ie
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A bus with 20 passengers on board in Belfast city centre has been evacuated after a fire was spotted at the back of the vehicle. The bus was in York Street when the fire was spotted by another motorist at about 19:00 GMT on Tuesday evening. All passengers were taken off the double decker bus safely and no one was hurt in the incident. The blaze was brought under control by the Fire and Rescue Service.
The Fire and Rescue Service's district commander for north and west Belfast, Martin McDonald, praised the reaction of the bus driver and the work of his crews in putting out the blaze. "On arrival we were faced with a fairly well developing fire in the rear of the bus," he said. "Conditions were very, very dangerous for the public in the immediate vicinity because of the large quantities of smoke that were being issued by the fire. "Very quickly everyone was removed from the bus by the driver and we were here in two minutes and able to prevent a lot more serious incident occurring."
www.bbc.co.uk
Dawson street in Monaghan has re-opened following a fire. The Fire brigade and emergency services attended a fire at a commercial premises in the town this afternoon. The road has since re-opened.
www.northernsound.ie
A man in his 20s has died following a single vehicle crash in Co Roscommon this morning. The incident occurred at 3.15am on the R366, Roscommon to Castlecoote Road, some 4km outside Roscommon town. The man was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was removed to Roscommon hospital. The road has been closed for a forensic collision examination and diversions are in place. Anyone with information is asked to contact Roscommon Garda station on 090 6638300, the Garda Confidential line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
www.irishtimes.com
Firefighters dealt with a well developed fire in a first floor flat at Eglinton Street in Portrush. Two hosereel jets and a covering jet were required to deal with the blaze which left two families requiring housing. A smoke alarm was fitted in the property but the battery had been removed, another alarm in the outside hallway had actuated.
www.nifrs.org
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A man has been taken to hospital after a fire broke out at an apartment in County Mayo. The alarm was raised in Belmullet at about 2am this morning and the 24-year-old man was taken to Castlebar General Hospital for treatment. The scene of the fire has been preserved for a technical examination.
www.breakingnews.ie
A 65-year-old woman died in a house fire on Saturday morning near Ballycumber in Co Offaly. The woman was asleep in an upstairs bedroom when the blaze broke out overnight. Gardaí have confirmed that she was alone in the house at the time. The woman's body was removed for a post mortem examination at the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore.
www.rte.ie
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A major fire in New Ross in Co Wexford has been brought under control. A number of apartments at an apartment block on the quay had caught fire and were in flames. Six units of the fire service are still at the scene. Roads around the area remain closed off to traffic. No injuries have been reported. A full examination of the scene will take place tomorrow morning.
www.rte.ie
Hydraulic cutting gear and an electric saw were used in the rescue of a male, who was in his early 20's, after he had become trapped in an upturned car on the Colinwell Road. He was placed on a spinal board and taken to hospital by ambulance, having sustained a back injury. Two other males were released uninjured by the Police and taken into custody.
www.nifrs.org
A 21 year old female became trapped in her vehicle after it was in collision with another car on the Belvoir Road. Fire & Rescue crews used hydraulic cutting equipment to release her and she was taken to hospital by ambulance suffering from suspected neck injuries. The occupant of the other car, a 38 year old male, was able to get out of his car uninjured.
www.nifrs.org
The prospects of New Ross fire brigade moving to a new location are not imminent, Cllr Michael Sheehan was informed last week. The Fianna Fáil representative was worried that the tender might not be able to get out of its current station in the middle of the town in good time in the case of some emergency.
A new site had been earmarked close to the town's recycling bring centre but director of services Eddie Taaffe was not aware of any live plans to transfer from the existing base. Indeed, there were indications that the old station is set to receive the benefits of central heating and a new coat of paint, which suggests that the firemen are staying where they are.
www.wexfordpeople.ie
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Firefighter chiefs could be set to make a dramatic U-turn on controversial new breathing equipment, after taking samples to Britain for urgent safety tests. Fire fighters claim the packs are risking lives and may refuse to use them from tomorrow due to serious concerns over their and the public’s safety. Last night many of the oxygen cylinders, which form part of the equipment for Dublin fire fighters, were removed from service. The Irish Examiner understands the packs were sent by Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) management to the manufacturer’s European base on Tuesday night.
Dublin City Council, which speaks on behalf of management, refused to comment on any issue surrounding the equipment. However, it is understood a sample of four packs were taken by Seán Cagney, DFB acting district officer, to Lancashire in Britain where US manufacturer Scott Safety’s European headquarters is situated. Sources confirmed the tests were taking place on the packs. It is possible the almost 300 sets of the equipment bought in October may become obsolete.
Of those, 60 are not being used due to concerns from frontline workers caused by a series of "potentially catastrophic events". Despite claims from senior DFB official, Gerry Geraghty, last week that the matter was resolved, Ross MacCobb, national vice chairman of the Irish Fire and Emergency Services Association, said nothing had changed. He said eight incidents with "the potential to seriously injure or kill a fire fighter" have occurred since the equipment was introduced in October".
This includes problems in Co Kerry, where some of the packs are also used, and Dublin, where masks have collapsed onto fire fighters faces due to a lack of air flow and "unexplained loss of pressure". Mr MacCobb said despite repeatedly raising frontline staff’s "questions, concerns and fears" over the dangerous situations with management, they were not satisfied adequate safety checks were in place.
As a result, he said the group would be forced to discuss refusing to use the equipment unless it can be assured of fire fighters’ and the public’s safety, with a decision on what action to take to be made by tomorrow evening.
Fiachra Ó Cionnaith / www.irishexaminer.com
A 21 year old woman was taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation following a fire in the bedroom of a detached bungalow at Mulnavoo Road near Draperstown. Another 14 year old boy was out of the house on arrival of fire crews who dealt with the fire using 2 hosereel jets. A smoke alarm had sounded alerting the occupants to the danger.
www.nifrs.org
A group of school children have had a lucky escape after the bus they were travelling and a van were in collision in Co Offaly today. It happened at about 2.45pm this afternoon on the Rath to Kilcoyne Road. None of the children were injured, but the drivers of both vehicles were taken to Tullamore General Hospital. Neither man is thought to be seriously hurt.
www.breakingnews.ie
5 vehicles, 4 cars and a van were involved in a collision on the Belfast Road, Ballynure in County Antrim on Thursday morning. This resulted in a total of 8 casualties with most suffering from shock and minor injuries. 3 were taken to hospital including an 8 year old child. NIFRS assisted with first aid at the scene.
www.nifrs.org
Ballyshannon Gardai were called to the scene of a house fire in Killybegs in the early hours of this morning. The incident happened just after 1am at a house on Conlin Road in the town. There was one man in the house at the time but he escaped without injuries. Three units of the fire brigade attended the scene and some damage was caused to the house. The scene is currently being preserved for a technical examination.
www.oceanfm.ie
The occupier of a flat in Adelaide Avenue, Whitehead was alerted to a fire in the bedroom of the property when a smoke alarm actuated. The emergency call was made by a neighbour who had also been alerted to the incident and Regional Control Centre staff used Emergency Call Handling techniques to advise the affected persons on safety prior to the arrival of crews on the scene. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used a hosereel jet and a covering jet to extingsuish the blaze. The cause appeared to be deliberate and PSNI are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
www.nifrs.org
Gardai in Fermoy are appealing for witnesses following a car crash near Conna last weekend that claimed the life of an 83-yearold man. Michael Hennessy was the front seat passenger of a car being driven by his 64-year old wife, Sheila, when it collided with a wall along a straight stretch of road at Kilcronat, Ballynoe just after 4.30pm on Saturday afternoon. Emergency service personnel rushed to the scene of the accident but despite their frantic efforts to resuscitate Mr Hennessey he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr Hennessey was a wellrespected member of the community in Tallow where he owned a shop prior to retiring in recent years. Mrs Hennessey was taken to the CUH where she was treated for what a garda spokesman described as "non life threatening" injuries. The road around the scene of the accident was closed to traffic for a number of hours on Saturday evening. The Hennessey's car, a silver Mazda 323 hatchback, was removed from the scene and subsequently underwent an inspection by a garda PSV inspector. The garda spokesman said that the inspection was part of an investigation launched in a bid discover the cause of the fatal crash. "We would ask that anyone who was travelling in the area on Saturday afternoon around the time of the accident contact us in Fermoy on 025 82100," he said.
Bill Browne / www.corkman.ie
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A main jet, a covering jet and a hosereel jet were used to deal with a fire in a chip shop on the Springfield Road in the Falls area of Belfast. Smoke was issuing from the building when crews arrived and firefighters had difficulty gaining access to the building in order to extinguish the blaze.
www.nifrs.org
Cutting gear was used to free a woman in her mid 50s from her car after a 2 vehicle collision on the Molesworth Road , Cookstown. She was taken to hospital while another woman aged in her 20s was treated by ambulance personnel for shock and minor injuries.
www.nifrs.org
Wexford County Council is owed around €1m in fire call-out charges. Financial director Anne O'neill indicated last week that most of the money is due from insurance firms rather than individual householders or vehicle owners. The charge for attending a house fire is €350.
Ms O'neill stressed that the €350 which appears on the bill represents only a fraction of the cost involved. The fire service is kept on the road in Wexford for €5m annually, she estimated.
www.wexfordpeople.ie
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When Charlie McGrath hit 60 at midnight on January 4, his increased age wasn’t the only thing weighing on his mind. The opening minutes of his sixth decade marked the end of Charlie’s time as a firefighter in Kilkee. He joined the service as a 19-year-old, 41 years ago in 1971, serving as an officer in the Kilkee station for 39 of those years. His longevity in the service outstrips every firefighter in the county. “In that time, I was fireman for two years, sub-officer for nine years and station officer for 30 years,” Charlie told The Clare Champion.
During his 41-year stint, Charlie attended 2,000 call-outs in the Kilkee, Doonbeg and peninsula areas. “It varied from haybarns in my early days to bog fires, flooding, road traffic accidents and numerous types of fires,” he recalled. Loss of life was sometimes an unfortunate accompaniment to the call-outs. “That was the hard part of it. Being a small community and as a fuel merchant, going from door to door in West Clare, I knew everybody and if I didn’t know the immediate family, I’d know all their relations,” he said. “The thing I always found difficult was if you arrived at a scene at maybe two or three o’clock in the morning and if it was confirmed that there was a fatality involved, you had to go down on your knee and do the Act of Contrition for them because the priest wouldn’t be on site maybe for another half an hour,” he reflected. Whether the incident was a car accident or a house fire, family members would sometimes arrive at the scene.
“The next of kin would find out about it and they’d arrive. They’d be standing on the roadway and they’d be asking questions about what happened. We had good counselling. There’s a counsellor available to us but you didn’t think of it at the time. You just got stuck in, did the job and then went away from it. But the hard part of it was when somebody found out that one of their own relations was involved in an accident. You’re standing there and you don’t know what to say to them.” A firefighter never knows when they’ll hear their bleeper going off. “Time didn’t matter. Once the alerter went off, you didn’t know what scenario you were facing until you got to the fire station. If it was a road traffic accident, you’d be wondering to yourself ‘is it one of my own family that’s involved in this?’ That’d be running through your head as well,” he acknowledged.
Currently, there are 10 people attached to the fire service in Kilkee. In Charlie’s experience, once you were on call, the rest of your life had to be put on hold. “If you’re leaving town then you have to notify the station officer and get a change of duty so that someone will cover you. It’s not a thing of saying ‘I’ll go to a match in Doonbeg tomorrow evening’. It’s the station officer’s responsibility to guarantee a crew at all times,” Charlie explained. “There’s a crew on every week from Monday morning to the following Monday morning. They change over then with the opposite crew. There’s a crew on all the time, 24 hours a day. Once the alerter goes off, I can guarantee you that seven or eight people will turn up for that call,” he added. About 10 years ago, Charlie’s firefighting life flashed before him. For a few frantic minutes, he thought he had lost some of his crew. “There was a local workshop that went on fire one morning in Kilkee. I remember going to the call. The flames were at the back of the building. They raced around the building in seconds. There was an oil tanker beside the building with about a thousand gallons inside in it. Within seconds it exploded. It was like a time bomb going off. I thought I’d lost two firemen. That’s the worst fright I ever got,” he revealed.
During his 39 years as station officer in Kilkee, Charlie is proud and relieved to note that no firefighter has lost his life under his watch. “I never had a loss of life or injury with any of my crew under me. I always feel proud about that. I wouldn’t put them into a building that I wouldn’t go into myself.” ‘If I can’t go in, ye won’t go in’ was his mantra. Charlie cites the support of his wife Delia, their five children and Martin ‘Foxy’ Kelly, who works for him in his fuel and garden centre business, as hugely beneficial to his firefighting career. Still getting used to life as a retired firefighter, Charlie is confident he will manage. “I found it very difficult. It felt like a part of my life had been taken away but I have to move on. I have my service done. “I’m now looking forward to going to Kenya on Friday for two weeks with the Fr Martin Keane Building of Hope Project. It’ll be good therapy for me. I’ll be out of here and I’ll come back a fresher man,” he predicted.
While labouring in Kenya, Charlie will have to aid the laying of 30,000 blocks. When he comes home, he’ll work on readjusting to his new life. “This doesn’t mean I’m going to sit at home and look out the door. I’m going to get involved in some voluntary service one way or the other,” he laughed, adding that he will continue to wash cars in aid of the West Clare Mini Marathon on Saturday, January 28. Between now and then, Charlie will have time to reflect on 41 years of unstinting service to his community, often in exceptionally trying circumstances.
Peter O'Connell / www.clarechampion.ie
New charges introduced by Dublin City Council for fire brigade call-outs come into effect today. A fee of €500 will apply for the first hour attending domestic fires, chimney fires and false alarms. The fee rises to €610 for road crashes. For every subsequent hour, a further €450 to €485 will be charged. Dublin City Council says most home insurance policies will cover the call-out charges.
www.rte.ie
An eight-year-old girl is being hailed a hero after saving her family's lives when an early-morning fire gutted their house. The blaze, apparently caused by an electrical fault, struck the house in Kildare at around 7am last Thursday. Declan Davis, his wife Margaret, and daughters Ellie (9), Marcella (8), and Tilly (15 months) were asleep in the house with the girls' cousin, Alyssa Whelan, when the blaze took hold.
And it was Marcella who managed to raise her sister and cousin from their beds and help get them out. Two other two children who would normally be at the family home on Monasterevin Road, near Kilberry, were sleeping over at another friend's house at the time. "It was pitch black and even though it was around seven in the morning, I thought it was the middle of the night when I was woken up with the smoke alarm going off, and there was rain and a howling wind outside," Declan said.
"Marcella actually helped the other two girls to get out the window. She was really great." Members of the fire brigade who attended the scene praised Marcella's speed and courage in getting her sister and cousin out of the house. "There may be a little presentation to her in the future," Declan said. Now Declan and Margaret are coming to terms with losing everything they owned and are staying with friends and relatives as they try to piece their lives back together. "Everything has gone. I got out wearing a tracksuit and a pair of runners and the children were just in their pyjamas. Everything else went," said Declan.
Conor Feehan / www.herald.ie
Three people fled for their lives after a firebomb attack completely gutted their Dublin home. The three, a 17-year-old girl, a 39-year-old woman and a 42-year-old man, escaped after their house was attacked and burst into flames at 3.20am today. Miraculously no-one was injured in the incident on Sperrin Road in Drimnagh, which destroyed the property. It is understood that the intended target of the attack was not in the property at the time. Sources say that he had previously spent some time in England.
Sources say that a friend of the intended target had previously survived a gun attack in Ballyfermot in August, 2008. The innocent family named locally as Fagans are said to have escaped out the back while the flames swept through their home. Two units of Dublin Fire Brigade backed up by a district officer fought the fire, but the blaze had taken hold rapidly and had spread to the upstairs of the house by the time they arrived. Neighbouring homes on the terrace were evacuated and a garda investigation was underway today to try to determine the motive for the attack.
The scene was sealed off pending a forensic examination by members of the garda technical bureau. Evidence of the intensity of the fire was plain to see as dawn broke today. Fire crews had dumped furniture and bedding out of the upstairs window. The bedroom ceiling had collapsed, the front door was incinerated and black smoke marks covered the front of the house. Neighbours said the first they knew about the fire was when the fire brigade arrived. "There was a lot of activity on the road, and there was smoke everywhere. I was afraid to leave the house," said one woman.
Conor Feehan & Ken Foy / www.herald.ie
A major incident involving a large number of tyres is ongoing at a scrapyard on the Newry Road just outside Mayobridge in County Down. Extra resources were called to combat the blaze and to protect nearby buildings and vehicles from the fire. 5 main jets and 2 hosereels were used on the fire. Special action had to be taken to ensure the water runoff from the fire was not entering a nearby water course which could have consequences on the environment and aquatic life.
www.nifrs.org
Three separate investigations are under way into the cause of a gas explosion at a housing estate that left a family in hospital. The blast occurred several hours after a repair crew from Bord Gais had been called out to deal with a suspected gas leak at the next-door property. Gas experts from the UK were called in to examine the house after the Commission for Energy Regulation brought in an independent team to probe the cause of the explosion.
Three investigations are under way, with Bord Gais, the commission and gardai all probing the cause of the blast at Riverdale Court in Leixlip, Co Kildare, at 12.30am on Saturday. A father and mother, aged in their 50s, and their daughter, who is in her 20s, were in the house when the blast occurred. At around 8.25pm on Friday, Bord Gais Networks was called to attend a suspected leak at Riverdale Court. The crew were at the house by 9pm and, following an initial assessment, a larger crew assembled at 10.30pm. Bord Gais said the crew made the leak safe but were still on site when the explosion occurred at the adjoining house.
It will be several days before the cause of the explosion is known but one possibility is that a gas leak occurred in a pipe damaged outside the house. Gardai said the cause of the blast was not suspicious. A further three houses were evacuated after the explosion but the area has since been made safe.
Louise Hogan / www.independent.ie
Extra resources including a Water Tanker and an aerial machine were required to deal with a fire at a saw mill at Ballycassidy outside Enniskillen last Saturday morning (14/1/12). 3 hosereels and 2 main jets were used to extinguish the blaze which appeared to have been started by residual sawdust in an extractor fan.
www.nifrs.org
Three vehicles (2 Minis and a Land Rover Discovery) were severely damaged in an early morning fire at Lowerybane outside Belleek in County Fermanagh last Friday (13/1/12). Another car and the front of a 2 storey house also suffered scorch damage. Firefighters used 2 main jets to extinguish the fires. PSNI have been requested to investigate as there were 2 seats of fire at the incident.
www.nifrs.org
Offaly County Council has rebuffed claims by Edenderry councillor Noel Cribbin that fire stations in Banagher, Daingean and Kilcormac were closed last year without a risk assessment being completed. Suggesting no risk assessment had taken place Cllr Cribbin said the decision to close three fire stations in Offaly was "flawed" and called for them to be re-opened immediately. The controversial decision to close the three fire stations was taken in January 2011.
Cllr Cribbin said he had been in contact with Offaly County Council on the issue and had requested on four occasions a copy of the risk assessment plan. He said he had now written to the council to clarify the issues and said it was his intention, to seek to have the three stations re-opened, if there was no risk assessment plan. This week Offaly County Council responded to Cllr Cribbin, saying a Fire and Services Operations Plan was adopted in January 2011.
"The plan was adopted following almost two years of scrutiny and debate including risk assessment," a council response stated. "We have now, for the first time, a set of fire standards, having regard to health and safety requirements and available resources.The service is organised to provide a competent and integrated emergency response to all the residents of Co Offaly and to date performance standards have been met."
Laura Ryder / www.offalyindependent.ie
Fire crews rescued a man from his home at Clonavon Avenue after the chimney caught fire at around lunchtime on Tuesday (10/01/2012). They administered oxygen to the occupant, Mr Freddie Matchett, who was suffering from smoke inhalation and was then able to watch from the street as they doused the fire, using two appliances and a hydrolic aerial platform. The firefighters managed to contain the fire, preventing it from causing more serious damage to the house and from spreading to neighbouring homes in the terraced row.
Mr Matchett watched gratefully as the firefighters contained the flames from the platform where two members of the local fire and rescue service sprayed a strong jet of water down the chimney. Mr Matchett said he was lighting the fire when the chimney caught light and the fire and rescue service - which is just round the corner in Thomas Street - was called to the scene and removed him from the house.
“They didn’t waste any time getting here,” he added. “I’ll have to get the damage assessed and see where I go from here.” Sadly, he added, the house and its contents were uninsured. The street was closed for much of the day, and traffic was diverted via Portmore Street and Thomas Street.
www.portadowntimes.co.uk
A bus & a Fed-ex van crashed in to each other on the Enniskerry Road last Monday morning (9/1/12). The 185 was travelling along the road carrying a small number of passengers when the collision occurred at around 10.30 a.m. A number of people were rushed to hospital, including the two drivers and a couple of passengers. The driver of the van appeared to be the most seriously injured.
A source said that the people at the scene were extremely shocked by the incident, however none of the injuries sustained are believed to be life threatening. The gardai, paramedics and the Bray Fire Service all attended the scene. The fire service was not required to carry out any extraction from the vehicles but were on hand to assist with the cleanup in the aftermath of the accident.
There was a slight bend in the road at the site of the collision. The emergency services remained at the scene of the crash for more than an hour.
www.braypeople.ie
Management at a Shankill nursing home showed that they are very good neighbours last weekend when they offered shelter to the residents of an adjacent apartment building. A number of residents of the apartment complex were invited in to Beechfield Manor Nursing Home when a fire broke out.
The blaze started at a television set in one of the apartments at around 9 p.m. on Saturday evening (7/1/12). The evacuees were given tea and coffee and kept warm indoors as the fire service tackled the small fire. No one was injured in the incident and the apartment residents were allowed return home after fire fighters declared the area safe. ' They were all very grateful to be provided with shelter,' said a spokeswoman for the nursing home on Shanganagh Road.
www.braypeople.ie
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The Fire and Rescue Service is dealing with a blaze in Kilkeel, County Down. It is understood the fire is at an unoccupied factory on the Harbour Road and the building is heavily logged with smoke. The fire was reported to police at about 19:00 GMT on Wednesday. Six fire crews, from Kilkeel, Warrenpoint, Portadown, Newry and Lisburn are using an aerial appliance to fight the fire. The cause of the fire remains unclear.
www.bbc.co.uk
Emergency services were called to a crash involving a bus in Belfast city centre on Wednesday. The incident took place at around 14:15 GMT in Queen Street, which was subsequently closed to traffic, but has since re-opened. A Metrobus struck a covered bus shelter at which a number of people were standing.
Translink say that two people have been taken to hospital, but their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening. BBC NI reporter Paddy O'Flaherty saw one woman being put into an ambulance. "Everyone at the shelter seemed extremely shocked," he said. "I was approaching Queen Street when I heard people screaming.
"I could see that the front corner of the bus had collided with the top edge of the bus shelter. The pavement was covered with glass and the shelter had been knocked sideways. "Shop assistants had come out of the stores in area to help the people at the bus-stop." Translink said that they will conduct a thorough investigation of the incident.
www.bbc.co.uk
A hayshed and livestock house measuring approximately 50x20 metres on the Bannview Road oustide Banbridge was severely damaged in an early morning fire. Extra resources including a water tanker were mobilised to the incident and 2 hosereel jets with 2 main jets were used to douse the flames. The roof of the building collapsed and a tractor and trailer was destroyed. Seven cattle also perished in the incident.
www.nifrs.org
Firefighters arriving at a report of a disused restaurant on fire in the Clandeboye Retail Park found the building well alight. Extra resources were requested including an aerial appliance and crews were able to prevent fire spread to neighbouring properties. Two main jets and an aerial monitor were used to deal with the fire while PSNI had to close the nearby roads due to poor visibility as a result of smoke. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
www.nifrs.org
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Ambulance personnel were assisted by firefighters to remove a man aged in his 50s from an articulated lorry after it left the road at Loughgilly near Markethill on the main Newry to Armagh road. Sadly he was pronounced fatal at the scene.
www.nifrs.org
A manhunt is under way for a psycho arsonist who burnt down a family’s home. The 34-year-old mum and her little daughter Nadine (7) were miraculously not at their north Dublin home when the crazed arsonist struck. In an exclusive interview with the Herald, Martina Ward revealed: "I know who did this – he is just pure evil. "I could have died, my child could have died. It was only by pure chance that we were not there," she said. "I have lived in that house all my life and now it is completely destroyed. I am homeless now – I have been left with nothing. All our clothes and money were burned in the fire. I really don't know where to turn.
"The Christmas presents that I got for Nadine were destroyed -- we are totally heartbroken." Sources say that after he set fire to the house in Kilbarrack with petrol, the suspect rang the mobile phone of a male relative of Martina Ward and taunted him. However, this phone conversation was recorded by the relative and gardai now have possession of the phone.
"The man that did this is a madman -- I know he wanted to murder my daughter and me. He thought we were in that house -- if we were we would be dead now. "I am praying that the gardai take this man off the streets -- I know what he is capable of." The Herald has learnt that the chief suspect for the arson attack is a sick sexual predator who has a "grudge" against innocent Martina -- who has no involvement in crime.
"He knows her very well and he had been threatening her. Martina is very lucky that she and the child were staying with her friend in Balbriggan when he set fire to her house," explained a source. "If they were in the house at the time, we could easily be dealing with a double murder here," the source added. The violent suspect -- who is originally from the Coolock area -- has been based in Co Kerry in recent times, where he has been living with a male relative who is also a convicted sex offender.
Four units of Dublin Fire Brigade fought the flames which totally destroyed the front door and hall area of the house. Scorch and smoke marks that rise all the way to the roof of the house showed how high the flames had been at the height of the blaze. Gardai sealed off the scene yesterday pending a forensic examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau. The arson suspect is a notorious sex offender and chronic alcoholic who served a number of jail sentences. In the 1990s he was given a lengthy sentence for abducting and brutally assaulting a Dublin man.
The assault lasted for an hour and during it the arson suspect forced his victim to strip and at one stage pressed a lit cigarette into his neck. Sources say that the arson suspect has been making threats against members of the Traveller community over the past number of months and because of this, there is now a threat against his life.
"If he thought that he was in bother before he is in serious trouble now because of what he did in Kilbarrack yesterday morning," a source explained. Gardai are also investigating reports that the criminal doused the door of a neighbouring house in petrol but failed to light a fire because he was spotted. He is also suspected of targeting another house in the Coolock area early yesterday morning. It is understood that the suspect is hiding out in north Dublin this weekend.
kfoy@herald.ie / www.herald.ie
EmergencyY services winched a driver to safety after he leapt over an embankment following a head-on collision. The man broke both his legs after jumping 40ft down an embankment in a desperate bid to flee the scene of the road crash. Emergency services found the man where he had fallen on to a railway line at the bottom of the embankment close to the Lower Glanmire Road in Cork city. Members of the fire brigade and ambulance service tended to the man at the scene and assessed him before winching him to safety. It is understood he broke both his legs.
He was the driver of the car, a red Audi, involved in a collision with a blue Honda Civic at around 5.30pm. Gardai believe the Audi was stolen, with witnesses saying the driver was spotted overtaking other vehicles before crashing into the Honda. The two occupants of the Honda Civic a man and a woman -- sustained minor injuries in the collision. Gardai, personnel from Cork fire service and two HSE ambulances attended the scene. Gardai at Mayfield are investigating the incident.
Separately, statistics for 2011 showed the number of people killed on the roads has fallen by almost half in just a decade. Some 186 people were killed on Irish roads last year -- a drop of 26 on 2010 and the lowest since records began in 1959. Deaths have fallen for the sixth consecutive year, and this is the fourth year in succession where deaths have been at a record low. Transport Minister Leo Varadkar said motorists should be proud of their achievement, but warned that road safety would remain a "key priority".
www.herald.ie
Firefighters used cutting equipment to release a 50 year old woman from her vehicle after a 2 car collision on the Portadown Road outside Tandragee. Two other men and a 15 year old were also removed from the cars using manual handling techniques. All were taken to hospital by ambulance but sadly the woman died in hospital.
www.nifrs.org
Manual handling techniques were used to rescue a 45 year old man who had fallen on a first floor gangway at an industrial site on the East Twin Road in the Dockyard area of Belfast last Thursday afternoon (5/1/12). The man was transported to hospital by ambulance suffering from back injuries.
www.nifrs.org
A farm supplies warehouse in Park Street in the centre of Ballyclare was severely damaged by fire in the early hours of last Thursday morning (5/1/12). The blaze, being fanned by high winds, was endangering neighbouring industrial properties and 7 pumping appliances, an aerial machine and a command support unit were needed to control the outbreak. Four main jets and a ground monitor were used to extinguish the fire in the 40x20 metre building. The street was cordoned off as PSNI commenced an investigation into the possible cause of the fire which appeared to have been started deliberately.
www.nifrs.org
Years of lobbying by Sinn Féin is coming to fruition with the news that the NI Ambulance Service is currently discussing the feasibility of locating a deployment point at the Fire and Rescue Station in Crossmaglen. Sinn Fein’s Conor Murphy had taken the debate to the floor of the Assembly in recent months to raise the issue directly with Health Minister Edwin Poots. During that debate, Minister Poots heard how many areas of rural south Armagh consistently fall outside recommended ambulance response times.
Conor Murphy described it “an unacceptable situation” for South Armagh and accused the Health Minister of ‘intransigence’ over his failure to act and to right the “historical discrimination” suffered by the area in terms of ambulance cover. The latest development was welcomed by MP Conor Murphy, who received correspondence from the Department of Health in late December. He said,
“We have been engaged in an intensive campaign over the last number of months both in the Assembly and at a localised level to make this happen.
“Sinn Féin has consistently argued that the deployment point in Warrenpoint could not possibly provide adequate cover to the South Armagh area. The fact of the 35 mile distance from Warrenpoint to the furthest areas of South Armagh ensured that people living in these areas were living permanently beyond the recommended response times and this was totally unacceptable to us. “We welcome this development and look forward to working closely with the Ambulance Service and the Fire and Rescue Services to make the local Ambulance point a reality.”
Crossmaglen councillor Terry Hearty, who has long campaigned on this issue, added,
“I am delighted that finally the Department of Health is living up to its responsibility regarding the people of South Armagh. “For years we have been looking for this commitment and at times we felt as though we were being totally disregarded by this department. “Many local people have contacted me on this issue over the years so it is great that we can go back to them now with a positive response. “I hope that this sub-station will be up and running in the near future providing a vital service for the people of South Armagh.”
www.crossexaminer.co.uk
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Firefighters in Dublin have raised concerns about recently issued breathing apparatus, which they say malfunctioned on six different occasions. The Irish Fire and Emergency Services Association is calling for the new equipment, which was issued in October, to be withdrawn over concerns that the face masks collapsed and tightened during use.
The IFESA has written to the Chief Fire Officer and to the Health and Safety Authority to highlight the issue. The IFESA is a breakaway group from the union SIPTU. SITPU and IMPACT say they are the only official unions representing workers at Dublin Fire Brigade. They are also aware of an issue with the possible malfunctioning of this equipment and have raised the issue with the Assistant Chief Fire Officer.
They have been told of problems with this equipment on at least five occasions since the new equipment was introduced in October 2011. Both unions are awaiting a report on the different types of apparatus that are in use. Dublin Fire Brigade said it noted a "small number of issues" with the equipment, but said they related to "teething problems and lack of familiarity with certain features".
www.rte.ie
(Please see IFESA Page for Union Statement on this issue)
A call has been made for retained firefighters to receive fair and reasonable treatment in relation to job seekers allowance payments. Gerald Nash TD has vowed to continue his fight for firefighters in these part-time positions to be treated fairly. At present, some retained members of the force in Louth and across the country are being refused jobseeker allowance payments on the grounds that they are not sufficiently available for work.
“This issue was first brought to my attention by retained firefighters who are working in our smaller rural stations,” said the Louth Deputy. “There is an inconsistency in how this issue is treated from county to county. I’ve been working with the Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton and she is sympathetic to their situation.” A departmental report was commissioned following intervention by the Drogheda TD with the Minister and this report has now been completed.
It’s hoped the Minister will fully consider the report without delay so that “a common sense solution can be found.” “Retained firefighters provide an essential service to our community and we should not be putting obstacles in the way of fulfilling their duties. Louth has a strong and proud tradition in terms of our firefighters who put themselves at risk for our safety,” he added.
“There is no doubting their desire and availability for full time employment.” “If this situation is not resolved we will be in the ludicrous situation of telling dedicated firefighters that they should sit at home rather than serve their community,” added Deputy Nash
www.drogheda-independant.ie
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Retained fire officers in Louth are not just fighting fires - they are fighting social welfare cuts to their income, according to Dundalk ICTU centre manager John Mathews, who has appealed recent decisions to cut entitlements to fire fighters. Mr Mathews and the Irish Fire and Emergency Services Association (IFESA) say that part-time firefighters are being denied jobseekers' payments because their positions as firefighters mean they are limited in the jobs they can take up. In addition, there is a requisite that they must live within a certain distance of the fire station.
This stipulation, according to social welfare officers, means the firefighters are hampered in their ability to find other work. The issue arose in Louth when a part-time firefighter moved to Louth from Kildare in the hope of getting a full-time position in Drogheda. But social welfare inspectors in Louth said the officer's part-time role meant that he was not available to take on other employment. The matter was raised in the Dail recently by Sinn Fein TD Gerry Adams, who was told by Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton that her department 'couldn't introduce special arrangements for firefighters without raising equity issues for other claimants'.
But Minister Burton said a group has been formed in the department to examine the position of part-time firefighters. Mr Mathews, who helped two officers appeal the cuts to their social welfare, said some retained firefighters make up 20% of fire service staff, were in dire straits after their social welfare was cut. He said: ' There are people in the position now that are considering giving up being retained firefighters entirely because they need the regular income that social welfare gives them. They are paid €8,000 a year, in quarterly installments. It costs between €15,000 and €20,000 to train each firefighter and taking away a part-time staff member's social welfare would mean the State would have to pay even more to each person in terms of social welfare'.
Mr Mathews said the next step is to contact the Social Welfare Ombudsman with a view to getting the social welfare returned to retained officers. He said: 'It seems like they are being penalised for the job they do'.
Anne Campbell / www.argus.ie
Kerry Fire Service is warning of the dangers of burning household items. It follows the death of a father and his two children in Sligo before Christmas from carbon monoxide poisoning. It's believed they died after a large empty crisp packet thrown onto a fire caused a blockage in the chimney, sending carbon monoxide fumes into the living room where the family were watching television; however investigations into the cause of their deaths are ongoing. Assistant Chief Fire Officer for Kerry, Timothy Kelleher, is urging people to recycle and not to burn household items in fires.
www.radiokerry.ie
A disused meat factory at Athaleer in Baltinglass was destroyed by fire last night. It is understood the fire started some time before 8pm on Wednesday evening. Baltinglass fire serivces were quick to to the scene and fought the blaze for up to an hour. It is not clear how the fire started.
www.wicklownews.net
An elderly man has died after he was struck by a van earlier today. The pedestrian, who is believed to be in his 60s was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident happened at Ballaugh, Abbeyfeale in County Limerick at about 5pm. The body was removed by ambulance to the Mid Western Regional Hospital. A number of emergency services attended the scene. The road was closed for a time, while a forensic examination was carried out. It is understood the driver was uninjured in the incident.
www.limerickpost.ie
NIFRS personnel administered CPR and oxygen therapy to a man aged in his 50s following a collision between 2 cars and a van on the Falls Road in Belfast just after midday today. He was taken to hospital by ambulance.
www.nifrs.org
Hydraulic cutting gear was used to release a 61 year old man after he was trapped when a collision occurred between a bus and a car on the Lisburn Road in Belfast near Bradbury Place in the centre of the city this morning. He was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital suffering from cuts and bruises.
www.nifrs.org
A 62 year old man was rescued from the roof of a detached bungalow at Station Road Portstewart during extremely windy conditions. A roofing ladder and short extension were used to bring the man down to safety. The incident happened just after 3pm Tuesday (3/1/12) afternoon.
www.nifrs.org
A truck driver was just metres from plunging into the river Boyne after his lorry skidded out of control on the Bridge of Peace. Only a heavy crash barrier placed in front of railings on the bridge prevented a tragedy as the truck came to rest on top of it. The incident took place on Monday morning (2/1/12) when it is believed the Cavan-registered truck skidded on ice close to the turn-off for the Rathmullen Road. It mounted the crash barrier and was badly damaged. The incident took place at around 9 a.m. and traffic was disrupted for several hours. Two units from Drogheda fire service were called to the scene after the lorry crashed, the driver was removed by ambulance to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.
www.drogheda-independent.ie
(Photos to follow soon)
The New Year began with a nightmare ordeal for a Listowel family when a fire raging in an adjacent hayshed threatened to engulf their home. Only for the speedy arrival of fire fighters, the Foran family home at the top of Ballygrennan hill, just outside Listowel, could have been lost as the flames from the hayshed came close to its walls. Four fire trucks arrived on the scene within minutes of the alarm being raised at around 7.30pm on New Year's Eve as a ten-hour battle to save the house began. Two tenders from Listowel and two more from Ballybunion attended the scene and immediately dampened down the walls of the home and another shed between it and the blazing barn.
"It's a shock when something like this happens, but the firemen were fantastic and our neighbours have been absolutely wonderful, bringing bales of hay and straw in the days since. We can't thank them enough," Eamon Foran said. Indeed, it was a neighbour who alerted the family to the fire. "It was a neighbour who rang us to tell us they could see smoke from the barn as we couldn't see it from where we were sitting in the house at the time," Mr Foran added.
"It's not the end of the world, as nobody was hurt. We did lose some machinery though, including a tractor, a loader and a manure spreader," he said. Fire fighters said the scene could have been much worse. "They were very lucky they didn't lose the house as it would definitely have gone up as the fire was right up against it," one fire officer who took part in the emergency said.
Dónal Nolan / www.kerryman.ie
Carlow Fire Services were forced to cut the roof off a car after it was involved in a serious two-vehicle collision on Friday (30/12/11). Gardaí and fire crews rushed to the scene of the accident on the Portlaoise Road late Friday afternoon and the road was closed as they dealt with the smash. A silver Honda and a van were involved in the accident, which happened on the N90 between Carlow town and Ballickmoyler.
It is believed that the 12-year-old Honda was so badly damaged in the accident that members of the fire brigade had to cut the entire roof off the vehicle to free trapped passengers. It is unclear the number of people involved and the seriousness of their injuries, but the Honda was completely written off. Munnelly’s Auto Salvage was called to the scene to remove the remains of the vehicles before the road was finally reopened to traffic. Gardaí and the fire services were unavailable for comment yesterday.
Clare Minnock / www.carlow-nationalist.ie
Tralee was shocked and saddened last week following the tragic death of well-known local antique dealer Connie Sugrue in a truck fire. Mr Sugrue, who was aged in his 50s and lived in Connolly Park, died in the fire on land adjacent to the Kerry Technology Park last Thursday morning (29/12/11). At around 10.30am the Tralee Fire Service received a call about a burning vehicle close to the Technology Park. Gardaí and two units from Tralee Fire Brigade attended the scene and the fire was brought under control. When the fire, which had engulfed the truck, was extinguished the body of Mr Sugrue was discovered inside.
A forensic examination of the scene was carried out and during a search of the surrounding area gardaí discovered a large sum of money near the burnt out truck, which they believe may have belonged to Mr Sugrue. Gardaí said they were not treating the tragic death as suspicious. His body was removed from the scene and a post mortem examination was carried out at Kerry General Hospital on Friday. Mr Sugrue had previously been involved in the cattle trade but for the past 15 years had worked as an antiques dealer.
Simon Brouder / www.kerryman.ie
A house only recently sold was damaged by fire after vandals broke into it over the Christmas holidays. The new owners of the home were left devastated when they learned that the vacant house at Woodpark Avenue, near Westport Quay, has been set alight.
Neighbours alerted the emergency services after they spotted smoke coming from the house at 1am on Wednesday last (28/12/11). Investigating gardaí found that the house was forcibly entered via the rear patio door. It is suspected the fire may have been smouldering for some hours.
The unfurnished house was only just sold and its new occupants were to move in for the New Year. Gardaí are asking anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area on December 27 or 28 to contact them at Westport Garda Station at 098-25555.
www.westernpeople.ie
The old saying goes "curiosity killed the cat". Well curiosity almost killed a dog that jumped into Newry canal on Wednesday before local firefighters came to the rescue. The springer spaniel had a lucky escape after making a barking mad dash off a wall at the Town Hall into the icy cold canal after spotting something in the water. Fire fighters followed the lead after a concerned passer-by phoned for help. Word soon spread of the drama unfolding and a crowd gathered to watch the rescue attempt as two fire engines arrived at the scene.
Luckily for the spaniel, which was getting distressed under the canal bridge, a firefighter was able to lure it to safety. The young spaniel was cold and shaken by the events but soon perked up as passers-by gathered to pet it. The lucky spaniel ended its 'ruff' day on a happy note when it was lifted into a fire engine to warm up and even had a journey in the engine to Newry Fire Station where it was reunited with its grateful owner.
A spokesperson for the Fire and Rescue Service said: "We received a phone call at 12.54pm from a member of the public regarding a dog trapped in Newry canal. “Two appliances attended the scene at 1.33pm at Sugar Island and a firefighter was able to coax the dog to safety. The springer spaniel, which is around three-years-old, was brought to Newry Fire Station where it was reunited with its owner."
www.newrydemocrat.com
Gardai are urging people to be extra vigilant over the busy festive season after a number of homes across the county, including two homes in Co Leitrim were damaged by fire over the Christmas break. A family home was completely gutted at Kiltoghert, just outside Carrick-on-Shannon on Christmas Eve. Neighbours noticed the blaze at around 8pm and contacted fire services. Three fire units attended the blaze but were unable to save the home.
www.leitrimobserver.ie
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With a total budget of €2.7 million, the cost of the county’s fire service was a hot topic for criticism by several Offaly County Councillors this week. The cost of the service was questioned during Offaly County Council’s budget discussions this week when figures showed that the service provision for 2012 is estimated to cost €2,794,344 which includes €2.3 million for the its operation, €132,500 for fire service training, and a further €346.388 for service support costs. Speaking during the budget debate, Fine Gael Councillor, Tommy McKeigue requested quarterly reports on the Fire Services and voiced serious concerns about the high cost of the fire services in the county.
Cllr McKeigue noted that during last year’s debate on the issue, which led to the closure of three fires stations, the councillors were told that cost efficiencies would be looked at for the service. “However, it hasn’t made much of a difference this year. We will have to go further on this” the councillor said. Independent Councillor, Johnny Butterfield also voiced concerns about the fire services budget. “People have the right to have this explained,” he stressed. Fianna Fail Councillor, Ger Plunkett suggested taking more from the Fire Services budget. “We were assured that cost efficiencies would be looked at,” he said, noting the current cost of the service provision.
“I am not happy with this. We should reduce this and make more on the effort on it. We need a better balance in the service and I am looking forward to the operations report.” Fine Gael councillor, Nichola Hogan was also disappointed with the fire service budget. “We took hard decisions last year and closed three stations,” she said, pointing out that there is the same budget for the five stations in 2012 and was looking forward to updates on the fire service cost efficiencies. Pat Gallagher, the County Manager, said that the cost of the fire services had been increasing over the last ten years and the Council had to put plans in place to control this cost while providing a service with health and safety requirements.
www.offalyexpress.ie
Gardaí are investigating after a substantial fire was brought under control at a historic church in Dublin city centre this afternoon. A man in his 50s was arrested after emergency services were called to the blaze at St Catherine’s Church on Meath Street in the Liberties area at around 4.45pm. He is currently in custody at Kevin Street garda station.
Four water tenders and an aerial ladder were deployed by Dublin Fire Brigade to bring the fire under control. A number of garda units also attended the scene. Emergency services are not currently aware of any injuries. Meath Street has been closed between Thomas Street and Dean Street while the scene is being examined.
According to archaeological reports, the current building dates from the mid-19th century but a church has stood on the site since the 18th century.
www.thejournal.ie
Hundreads of firefighters have lost a bid to boost their holiday entitlements. It is the first dispute over government plans introduced by Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Brendan Howlin to standardise holidays across the public sector. These plans mean annual leave should range from a minimum of 22 days to a maximum of 32 days from January. Nine-hundred Dublin firefighters, who claimed they got 23 days off a year, said that three of these days -- known as "winter leave" -- were not part of their annual holidays.
They argued that their annual leave entitlement was therefore 20 days, and that this should increase to 22 days under the new rules. As they would continue to get the three "winter leave" days on top of this, they would end up with 25 days off. But the Labour Court has rejected their claim that winter leave is not part of annual leave. It found that winter leave was part of their regular holidays, noting that it is "clearly annual leave because it is granted annually".
The city council had warned that an increase in firefighters' holidays would "have significant financial implications". "We are assessing the implications of the recommendation and will be discussing it with the unions in the new year," said a council spokesman. He was unable to say when the "winter leave" days were taken or whether they were the normal arrangement at other local authorities. The council argued that the firefighters enjoyed "very generous" leave and roster arrangements.
It claimed they got 24 days of annual leave -- compared with the unions' claim that they got 20 days plus three winter days. The council said their entitlement was above the minimum proposed in the plans to standardise holidays. In its recommendation, which has just been issued, the court found that the firefighters got 24 days off as well as holidays for working more than 39 hours a week.
It found there was no documentation to explain how or why winter days were given. It said winter leave was probably granted in recognition of the firefighters working shifts. "There is no record in which the origin or purpose of the three days is clearly described one way or the other," it said. "The city council is unable to say with any degree of confidence why, or when, the disputed leave was introduced." It said the council thought it was brought in in 1970 in recognition of the hours then worked by the fire brigade.
The unions said they believed it was introduced in 1968 to bring the firefighters' leave into line with other municipal employees. "However, the evidence relied upon by both sides is almost entirely anecdotal," said the court. Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Brendan Howlin announced plans in November to bring an end to out-of-date leave arrangements.
Anne-Marie Walsh Industry Correspondent / www.independent.ie
A 2 car collision on the Ballyronan Road outside Magherafelt resulted in a total of 4 casualties at the scene, one of which was removed from her vehicle by NIFRS personnel. The rescued woman who was suffering from chest and leg injuries was taken to hospital by ambulance while the 3 others were treated at the scene for minor injuries and schock.
www.nifrs.org
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