Séamus Egan

A man who is always on time, always there when needed. . .

Séamus Egan, a fireman in Enniscrone, has built up this reputation over 25 years. He is married with three children and has just received his long service award from Sligo County Council. When pressed as to what motivates him, Séamus concedes that it is simply ‘job satisfaction’. He undergoes in the region of one hundred hours of training a year, which would encompass RTA(Road Traffic Accident), BA (Breathing Apparatus), and TFH (Test Fire Hydrants). Seamus has also just finished a training course with Dublin Fire Brigade which covered all aspects of First Aid i.e. casualty handling, oxygen therapy, airway management, CPR.

Séamus has been involved for the last fifteen years with the local Civil Defence Branch, which is very demanding considering his already busy schedule. The Civil Defence organisation is called upon regularly for its skills in crowd control and ambulance duty and will have a pivotal role to play during the Special Olympics in summer 2003. 

- Séamus Egan

Over the last ten years Séamus has seen a lot of change within the fire service. One very significant improvement was the new fire station at Enniscrone, which opened in November 1996. The old station wasn’t big enough to accommodate the Fire Engine. The new station houses a tea room, an important facilty given the often traumatic nature of their line of work. Another important addition for the Fire Service was the setting up of the watchroom - or alert area - based at Sligo County Council headquarters Originally two people had to man the phones 24 hours a day - there were no mobile phones then. Advances in technology have introduced vast improvements to the working life of the firemen.

Séamus also finds that the type of call outs have changed over the last years. The amount of chimney fires have reduced with the introduction of gas and oil heating. He also feel that road accidents have greatly reduced due to the introductions of the points system. Oil spillages and forest fires still occur regularly. One of the major incidents that Seamus recalls happened about ten years ago in a hotel in Ennisrone. If the fire had extended into the roof space it would have spread all the way down the street and caused terrible damage. Luckily the fireman got it under control and prevented it travelling. Séamus and his team undergo a strict medical every two years. Fitness is of utmost importance as 5-10 minutes can make a big difference in an emergency. As Séamus said ‘you don’t put a man on your football team if he isn’t fit’. Seamus’s commitment to his career is indicative of the professionalism and dedication within Sligo Fire Service, and indeed, among Fire Service personnel countrywide