The Fire Authority provides a number of services ranging from the emergency response to incidents such as fires, road traffic collisions, air accidents, chemical incidents and more recently biological incidents, to ensuring the fire safety of the built environment through certification, inspection and enforcement. The Authority also provides information and training on fire safety management and fire fighting.
In order to provide this service in an efficient manner throughout the county there are Fire Stations in Sligo, Ballymote, Tubbercurry and Enniscrone. The Service attended over 945 incidents in the last year. This is the largest number of calls for assistance on record and emphasised the importance of the service provided.
There were several large complex fires this year, again emphasising the need for an efficient and effective fire service response to emergencies and the need for preventative measures, including enforcement when advice alone is not sufficient. There has been an increase in car fires and fires caused by arsonists. These pose a serious threat to life and property and the cost can also result in the loss of jobs within the community.
People must also remain vigilant in the home, as this is where our most life threatening fires occur each year.
There is a very strict training regime in the Fire Service as is necessitated by the sometimes difficult and dangerous environment in which fire-fighters work.
Fire-fighters undergo over one hundred hours training every year. This includes the latest advances in techniques used to tackle the fires known as “flashover” and “backdraft” and the latest methods of extraction of casualties from vehicles involved in incidents. This is particularly important in view of the advances in active safety technology employed in the modern car. Airbags and seatbelt tensioning do save lives the instant an accident occurs, but can pose a serious threat to rescue personnel when working around undeployed airbags and seatbelt tensioners.
The Service now holds “block” road traffic collisions (R.T.C) training over a number of days, in which the necessary skills are learnt and practiced.
Sligo is a “hot fire” Training Centre and offers this facility for the training of fire-fighters throughout the country. This facility is used to demonstrate and train fire-fighters in the latest techniques and equipment necessary for their protection and the saving of life. The Fire Service has nationally qualified medical first responders with Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in all Stations and in the Sligo Headquarters. Refresher training for this is every 90 days.
The Breathing Apparatus training centre has been used as a national training centre following modernization and the installation of a “gas fire system”. This is used to train staff in proper search and rescue techniques and in the use of breathing apparatus in fire situations. This centre has received capital funding this year for its continuing development in this area of expertise in recognition of its importance nationally.
Local industries have also facilitated the Service in carrying out pre-fire training in which various types of incidents are staged and training undertaken so that should a similar incident occur the Service will have the necessary skills and resources needed to deal with it in an efficient and professional manner.
As part of the National Framework on Major Emergency Management, the Fire Service continues to implement measures to identify and mitigate natural and technological hazards; to plan for, to respond to, and to lead recovery from major emergencies which threaten persons, infrastructure, the environment and property.
The Fire Service will see the introduction of the new National Incident Command System. The new system will have the potential to provide a more efficient and effective command structure on emergency situations and in the Service’s interaction with colleagues in the other emergency services.
Talks were given to the elderly and other groups on fire safety. Groups of primary school students visited the stations and watched fire safety videos and demonstrations. Groups from secondary schools, Sligo Institute of Technology and the local community also participated in courses held in the Fire Station.
With the new addition of the Community Fire Safety Demonstration Unit, the Fire Service now has the ability to visit schools and communities to practically demonstrate the dangers of chip pan fires and what to do in the event of such a fire.
These courses reinforce the need for vigilance when it comes to fire safety and brings this message to homes, schools and workplaces.
The Fire Authority processed 168 Fire Safety Certificate applications required under Building Control Legislation and dealt with in excess of 200 Planning Applications under the Planning Acts. These applications covered a wide range of premises from apartment blocks, hotels, and shops to large commercial developments. Inspections were carried out under the various licensing laws covering nearly every type of premises from petroleum stores to dance licences. The Fire Authority made comment on all transfer of licences before the courts and carried out numerous “during performance” inspections of dance halls, public houses and workplaces to ensure fire safety standards were being upheld.
In the last number of years, the ageing fire engines in Enniscrone, Tubbercurry, Ballymote and Sligo have been replaced with new modern appliances. The emergency tender in Sligo is in its 16th year of operational use with some of the equipment thereon over 20 years old. An application for funding has been approved by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government for the replacement of this appliance.
Plans were submitted to the Department for funding and upgrading of Sligo Fire Station in line with current requirements and funding has been approved for some of the works to proceed this year, as has the provision of a new fire station in Ballymote.
The inaugural round of the World Rallying Championship came to Ireland in November. Rally Ireland took place over 4 days with Rally Headquarters being based in Sligo Town. This event brought its own challenges to the Fire Service, aiding to make this event secure and safe for all while continuing to provide the residents of Sligo County with the high quality services during the event. The success of Rally Ireland sees its return as Round 1 in January 2009.