Ballincollig community and Cork firefighters protest about failure to reopen fire station

Locals fear 'something very serious' will happen before Cork City Council resolves the staffing issue and reopens the fire station

Cork firefighters joined the local community at the protest about the failure to reopen Ballincollig fire station. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Someone is going to get seriously injured before Cork City chiefs act on fire fighting deficiencies in one of the region’s biggest towns, a community activist has warned.

Speaking at a protest over the continued failure by Cork City Council to staff Ballincollig Fire Station, Mags McKenna said council chiefs need to stop “sitting on their hands”.

The mother of four, who runs the online Ballincollig Community Hub, has been campaigning for the reopening of the fire station on the Leo Murphy Link Rd since it closed in November 2021.

Previously administered by Cork County Council, it changed hands to the city council after the city boundary was extended in 2019.

Since then, the fire service for the town — which has a catchment area of up to 28,000 — has been provided from Anglesea St fire brigade headquarters, stretching resources.

Mags McKenna at the protest at Ballincollig fire station: 'We feel that there is nobody looking out for us in what is a very big town with a large hinterland.' Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Despite high-profile recruitment campaigns, Cork City Council failed to hire a single retained firefighter to crew the town’s fire station.

Ms McKenna told the Irish Examiner: “My biggest fear is that something very serious is going to happen before the council takes the issue of staffing more seriously than they are.

“We shouldn’t have to wait for something tragic to happen for them to realise how much we need an open fire station.

“I am not the only person locally who is convinced that the fact that this station is closed could cost lives. We feel that there is nobody looking out for us in what is a very big town with a large hinterland around it.”

Senan Coughlan from Ovens and Molly Coleman from Ballincollig at the fire station protest. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

She said that, as well as losing the fire station, the town no longer has a cardiac support unit based in the town. Ms McKenna also pointed out that, when they had a retained fire crew, it would take around seven to eight minutes for crews to respond to call-outs in the town and between one and two minutes for the full-time crews.

But she said that, since the station closed in late 2021, it now takes crews around 10 to 12 minutes to get to the town.

Cork firefighters at the protest. Previously administered by Cork County Council, the fire station transferred to Cork City Council after the city boundary extension in 2019. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

She said she and the community are not being kept “in the loop” in terms of what is going on as far as the fire station is concerned.

“We just don’t know what is going on, and we want our voice to be heard because this is about our community and something that is very, very important to us,” she said.

On Monday, members of Cork City Council told city bosses to find the money for a full-time service.

In a statement, City Hall said the recruitment of retained firefighters is progressing and ongoing.

Local firefighter John Donovan with members of his family, many of whom have served as firefighters, at the protest in Ballincollig which is now part of Cork City. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

“This competition remains open on a rolling basis without a closing date,” it said.

“All information is available for interested candidates on the city council recruitment page.”

Meanwhile, Siptu firefighters are continuing with their limited industrial action in an ongoing row over staffing shortages which they claim put lives at risk.

Senan Coughlan, Ovens, and Molly Coleman, Ballincollig, taking part in the fire station protest. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Although it is open-ended industrial action and only relates to administrative duties and not any emergency 999 services, it could escalate.

The city’s 140 operational firefighters have said they are happy to staff the Ballincollig fire station until retained firefighters are recruited, trained, and ready for operational duty. 

City Hall has reportedly ruled this out, however, on cost grounds, estimated to be around €4m.

The costs are understood to include a budget for annual staffing costs and the cost of modifications to the town’s fire station to provide living quarters for a full-time brigade.