Tipperary Fire and Rescue Service are fighting fire with fitness

The hot summer led to plenty of wildfires. Just as well a fitness programme had firefighters ready for the long days, writes Aileen Lee.

Record temperatures in recent months have made for an intense season of callouts for Tipperary Fire and Rescue Service. It has been its busiest summer in over 20 years. Dave Carroll, chief fire officer, says: “We’ve done double the amount of calls in that two-month period (June and July) than we would normally do. We’ve done over 200 wildfires — they’re long, strenuous calls. You could be 12 hours on a hillside or a bog fighting fires.”