Fire fighter receive tenders

FIRE fighters in Limerick city and county will no longer have to deal with water shortages on call-outs with the delivery of three water tenders which will have capacity for 25.5 tons (25,500 litres) of water.

The third tender was yesterday handed over to the Mayor of Limerick, Cllr Jim Long.

Two similar tenders were last week delivered to the county fire service at Rathkeale and Cappamore.

Noel Howard of the coach builders, High Precision in Tullow, Co Carlow said all three water tankers have been made from recycled plastic.

He said: “Compared to the metal-built versions, these ones have a very low centre of gravity, which makes them safer on roundabouts, and it has a lot more storage than the present tankers. The new ones have a capacity of 8,500 litres compared to 1,800 litres on an older fire tender.”

The three tenders cost in excess of €500,000.

Limerick City chief fire officer Michael Ryan said the city’s new water tender will enable them to cover areas of the city which have low water pressure or when the water has been shut off.

He said: “We will also carry the new water tanker to rural areas where we cover in the county.”

Mayor Long said the new tender was a great addition to the city fire service.

He said: “It also gives great reassurance to residents that if there is a fire, firefighters will always have a plentiful supply of water irrespective of the pressure in any particular area.”