Limerick fire service welcomes seven recruits

SEVEN firefighters have joined Limerick city’s fire service, the first group in 20 years to have been trained in Ireland.

For the past two decades recruits went to a training centre outside Manchester in Britain.

The seven firefighters completed a 13-week training course at Dublin Fire Brigade’s Training Centre in Marino with instructors from Dublin and Limerick. Limerick City Council’s Director of Services for the Environment and Emergency Services, Caroline Curley, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer training to our Limerick firefighter recruits in Ireland once again. Limerick City Council is very impressed with the quality and standard of training these seven recruits received in Dublin.”

More than 200 people applied to join the Limerick City Council Fire and Rescue Service this year, but only the top seven candidates were selected for training — three Limerick men, three Clare men and one Waterford man. Four of the recruits are ex-Defence Forces and two had previously worked for Clare Co Fire Service.

During the course of their training in Dublin, the recruits covered a variety of topics, including pump and ladder drills, breathing apparatus, compartment fire behaviour training, road traffic accident rescue, hazardous materials, emergency first responder and swiftwater rescue. The passing out ceremony was attended by Mayor of Limerick Cllr Ger Fahy, Limerick City Manager Tom Mackey, Limerick Chief Fire Officer Michael Ryan and members of the city council.

Mayor Fahy said: “I am very impressed with the enthusiasm and skill of Limerick city’s seven new fire fighters. The display they have just performed assures me the Limerick City’s Fire and Rescue Service is in very good hands.”

The recruits include Kevin Buckley whose father Gerry Buckley is a serving Limerick City Firefighter, Kevin Curtin who is an ex-Bus Eireann mechanic, John Staunton an electrician from Galbally, Co Limerick, Eli Brace an ex- Defence Forces man from Ennis, Stephen Cusack an ex-Defence Forces member and Clare County Fire Services man, PJ McNamara from Scariff and Timothy O’Sullivan from Waterford.