This article is from page 10 of the 2011-05-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
THE state of the art fire and rescue service and training centre opened in Ennis last week is set to become the blueprint for regional fire services all over the country.
The centre, which was officially opened by the Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan (FG), is set to become a centre for fire training for professionals from all over the midwest.
“This is a wonderful boost for the county – it is a fabulous training facility and one that should be replicated all over the country if resources are available,” he said.
“I can see how this can be a regional centre for other counties as well. I wish the fire service well and all who work here. They are doing a very im- portant job as a front-line service to protect the people of Clare and the surrounding counties.
“The training needs of today’s fire service personnel are wide and diverse. The opening of this new facility in Ennis will ensure the provision of high quality training to fire fighters into the future.”
Minister Hogan was joined at the launch by the Mayor of Clare, Christy Curtin (Ind); the County Manager, Tom Coughlan and a number of members of both Ennis Town Council and Clare County Council.
The € 470,000 facility is located right beside the offices of Clare County Council on the New Road in Ennis. Speaking at the official opening, Minister Hogan also paid tribute to the work done by the county’s fire fighters during major flooding events in the winter of 2009 and 2008 and to the efforts of County Manager, Tom Coughlan; Clare’s Chief Fire Officer, Adrian Kelly and Clare County Council Director of Service, Ger Dollard, in getting the new facility in place.
“I understand that management and staff worked around the clock to ensure that the threat posed by the flood waters to property and life was minimised [during the flooding],” he said. “The response was a credit to everyone involved. The experience and insights gained will no doubt shorten the learning curve for others in the emergency management sector.”