Carlow Fire Service call-outs surge by 25%, says fire chief

CARLOW Fire Service is 25% busier than it was a year ago, its acting chief officer recently told members of Carlow Municipal District. Acting fire chief Ben Woodhouse made the presentation to councillors, highlighting the service’s growing workload, landmark accreditations and a significant funding haul of around €10 million secured since he took office.

“We’re approximately 22 to 25% busier for turnouts and for calls in Co Carlow than we were the previous year,” Mr Woodhouse said.

Among the stand-out achievements he outlined was Carlow Fire Service becoming the first and only fire authority in Ireland to hold three ISO standards simultaneously, including the ISO 14001 environmental and waste management standard, the first such accreditation achieved by any fire authority in the country.

Mr Woodhouse also highlighted the growing national prominence of the Hacketstown Training and Development Centre, which he described as the busiest learning and development centre in the country, serving fire services from across Ireland, the Defence Forces, the Irish Air Corps and Dublin Airport Fire and Rescue Service.

Plans for the centre include expanding its range of courses and delivering an underground confined space rescue training facility, which, he said, was expected to be completed by the end of the year. The centre is also a QQI-approved training facility for firefighters.

On the fleet, Mr Woodhouse confirmed that two new class B firefighting appliances are to be delivered, along with two water tankers for firefighting purposes. He also said the service intends to strategically position three 9,000-litre water tankers around the county to support operations in rural areas where access to hydrants and waterways is limited. The service is also seeking funding for a new platform at Carlow Fire Station.

Firefighter safety was also addressed, with Mr Woodhouse committing to providing the latest breathing apparatus equipment to protect firefighters’ respiratory systems.

On infrastructure, refurbishment works at Muinebheag Fire Station are progressing, with an estimated cost of €2.78 million. A second design meeting with the project team took place recently and Mr Woodhouse said he intends to commit to refurbishment works at both Hacketstown and Tullow fire stations within the lifetime of the plan.

From an environmental standpoint, the service is making strides towards national climate action targets, with the aim of reducing carbon emissions by 51% by 2030. Three new jeeps running on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) have recently been acquired and Hacketstown has received a new electric fire engine, the first to join the county’s fleet.

Carlow fire station also holds the distinction of being the first fire station in Ireland and across Europe to operate eco-class fire appliances.

The service’s national resilience vehicle fleet responsibilities are also set to expand significantly, with the number of appliances under Carlow’s remit rising from 12 to 85.