Work to begin on fire training centre

CONSTRUCTION work on the new fire training centre in Ennis will begin before the end of the month and is due to be completed within six months.

Clare County ­Council signed a contract with Thomas Nolan and Sons, Newport, County Tipperary, for the works this week.
The €470,000 project involves the provision of a new training centre to cater for the training requirements of Clare County Fire and Rescue personnel.
The contract is funded by the national directorate for fire and emergency management at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which is providing the funds for all costs. It includes construction costs and design fees.
The contract signing ceremony at Ennis Fire Station was attended by the mayors of Ennis and Clare; Councillor Richard Nagle, chair of the community and enterprise, tourism and emergency services SPC; chief fire officer Adrian Kelly; Ennis Fire Station staff; county manager Tom Coughlan; Gerard Dollard, director of services and representatives of the successful contractor and the design team.
Mayor of Ennis Councillor Frankie Neylon said the ­fire-fighting capability of the local service would be greatly ­enhanced through
the provision of the
proposed new training centre. He also underlined the importance of continued investment in local fire and rescue service.
“It is vital the Government continues to invest in our fire service to ensure that communities have the necessary assurances of modern facilities, including lecture rooms and work areas, which can also provide a safer place to work for our fire fighters”, he said.
Mayor of Clare Councillor Tony Mulcahy commented, “The signing of this contract represents a very positive development for Clare County Fire and Rescue Service and the people who live in, work in and visit Clare. In spite of the current economic climate, it is pleasing to see that investment in our emergency services is continuing. I also wish to say a special thanks to the Clare County Fire and Rescue Service personnel, who provide a professional service 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.”
Chief fire officer Adrian Kelly added, “Presently, our fire and rescue staff are among the most highly trained in the country and this stand-alone training facility, once completed, will raise staff training levels even further.
“The new facility will complement existing training facilities at Ennis Fire Station and will allow us to run national training courses, as well as courses for external bodies and local authorities.
“This year, for example, Clare County Fire and Rescue Service intends to run 36 courses catering for 300 participants.” These training courses include swift water rescue training, emergency fire appliance driving, working at heights, road traffic accident techniques, community first responder, hazardous materials, wildland firefighting and various officer courses.
Ennis Fire Station is currently has nine senior fire officers, one full-time station officer, 15 retained fire fighters, three administration staff and two fitter mechanics.
The Ennis Fire Station service fleet consists of six vehicles, including two class B fire appliances, one water tanker, one emergency tender, one aerial appliance, and one four-wheel drive.