Tag Archives: Clare Fire Service

A GROUP of Clare firefighters have voted in favour of proposed industrial action in a dispute over pay and working conditions. While the final result of the ballot for industrial action in Clare hasn’t been made public, SIPTU Sectoral Organiser, Brendan O’Brien told the Clare Champion members in the retained fire service have voted “strongly in favour” of taking some form of industrial action. Mr O’Brien said the union hadn’t received any meaningful proposals to resolve this dispute from the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) or engagement from Clare County Council, apart from an acknowledgement letter. Having referred this matter to the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) and dealt directly with employers, Mr O’Brien said the union had to ballot its members for industrial action. Despite a number of recent recruitment drives by Clare County Council, Mr O’Brien claimed they had attracted very few new applicants in some cases because the overall package is not attractive enough for new entrants. Acknowledging …

Clare County Council and Clare County Fire and Rescue Service are urging members of the public and businesses not to supply any waste material to persons who do not hold a valid waste collection permit. The call comes in advance of the Halloween period, which traditionally has been used by some people to illegally dispose of waste material on bonfires. The uncontrolled burning of waste, particularly in bonfires, is illegal and releases toxic pollutants into the air, which are known to be damaging to our health and environment. Burning of waste in this manner is illegal under the Air Pollution Act, 1987, and the Waste Management Acts, 1996-2008. Allowing unpermitted waste collectors to remove waste is an offence and could incur a fine of up to €5,000. Bonfires are often built close to houses and other property, presenting risks to personal safety and property. Adrian Kelly, Chief Fire Officer, Clare County Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Halloween is one the …

CLARE County Fire and Rescue is reviewing its procedures for responding to calls following a recent escalation in anti-social behaviour in one area of Ennis. On Saturday night, firefighters and Gardaí attended the scene of a bonfire in the Cloughleigh area of the town and were fortunate to escape uninjured after they came under attack from stone-throwing youths. While dealing with the incident, stones and other missiles were thrown at personnel and their vehicles. The officer’s side window in one fire appliance was smashed while the vehicle’s windscreen was also damaged and will have to be replaced. A fire officer, who was in the appliance at the time, escaped injury. The fire appliance sustained other damage also and as a result has had to be taken out of service until repairs are completed. Other firefighters were struck by an array of missiles including rocks, bottles and sticks but no injuries were reported. Personnel extinguished the fire and retreated from the …

Gardaí in Ennis are investigating the circumstances of house fire that occurred overnight. The alarm was raised shortly after midnight when emergency services received a report of a property on fire at John Paul Avenue in the Cloughleigh area of the town. Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Ennis station responded to the incident along with Gardaí and National Ambulance Service paramedics. One arrival, fire crews found the downstairs sitting room area well alight. It’s understood there was no one in the house at the time while Gardaí carried out inquiries in an effort to confirm the whereabouts of the owners but it’s believed they were away at the time. This was the third house fire in the wider Cloughleigh area in recent months following previous incidents at Gordon Drive in April and Childers Road in June. Gardaí are now investigating the circumstances of this latest blaze which is thought to be suspicious. The scene will be …

SEVERE disruption to the Clare Fire and Rescue Service looks likely after a union served its intention to conduct a ballot for industrial action on behalf of local fire fighters on October 26. This vital life-saving service may be curtailed unless Clare County Council can address the “recruitment and retention crisis” affecting the local Retained Fire Service. The union has served the council a two-week written notice of its intention to ballot their members in the Retained Fire Service for industrial and strike action, which started on October 12. It also confirmed the union remains available to “seek an agreed solution to this dispute”. In a letter to Chief Executive, Pat Dowling dated October 12, SIPTU stated as a result of the failure “and/or refusal of management represented by the LGMA to honour its commitment to make proposals to address the long standing issues giving rise to the recruitment and retention crisis affecting the Retained Fire Service in the county …

Fire crews from two Clare stations have dealt with a major blaze at a construction yard in the county. The alarm was raised shortly before 3pm when the Munster Regional Communications Centre received a report of a fire near Knock, Kilmaley. A fire is understood to have broken out in a building used to service vehicles operated by a local construction company. Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Ennis station initially responded to the incident along with Gardaí. Additional fire service resources were mobilised from Ennistymon station. Water tankers from both stations and a hydraulic platform from Ennis were also dispatched to the scene. The tankers were used to ferry water from an off-site source to the scene. Firefighters tackled the fire from above using the hydraulic platform and sprayed the building with water and foam in an effort to bring the fire under control. At least one gas cylinder in the building exploded in the blaze …

EMERGENCY services are dealing with an incident on the M18 after a car went on fire on the motorway. The passenengers of the vehicle thankfully escaped before the blaze got out of hand. The car was ablaze on the northbound carriageway of the M18 on the Ennis side of Exit 11 this evening. Traffic disruption is expected in the area as emergency services deal with the incident.

Gardaí are investigating the circumstances of a fire which caused extensive damage to a section of a protected building in Co Clare. https://twitter.com/tomhehir68/status/1540957797558386691?s=20&t=jBHRKwq18Y7SrlizoqcTWA The blaze at the former Our Lady’s Psychiatric Hospital in Ennis was reported at around 6am on Sunday when emergency services received a number of 999 calls. Three units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Ennis station responded to the incident at Dulick on the Gort Road, a short distance from the town centre. On arrival, fire crews found a large section of the building’s entrance area ‘well alight’ with flames bursting through the roof. Firefighters used a hydraulic platform to tackle the blaze from above and however, after the fire had been brought under control and contained to one section of the facility, crews continued to deal with small pockets of fires for some time afterwards. In one section of the three-storey building, all three floors collapsed into the basement making the scene particularly …