Vote to reopen Ballincollig fire station full-time defeated

Councillors hear Section 140 measure would cost €4.6m per year and necessitate increases in rents, rates, and parking fees 

Cork City firefighters and supporters of the full-time reopening of Ballincollig Fire Station at City Hall on Monday. Picture: Dan Linehan

Cork’s city councillors have voted against a motion to reopen and staff full-time a town’s fire station after they were told the €4.6m annual cost could only be found by raising rents, rates, or parking fees, or by cutting services.

Councillors were also told that adapting the fire station building in Ballincollig for a full-time fire service could cost an additional €3m — and that none of the expenditure had been provided for in the city’s 2023 budget.

Section 140 motion

The 18-5 vote against followed a special and at times heated meeting of Cork City Council on Monday night which was called after the signing of the rarely used Section 140 notice by Rabharta Glas councillor Lorna Bogue, Workers Party councillor Ted Tynan, Solidarity councillor Brian McCarthy, and Sinn Féin councillors Mick Nugent, Eolan Ryng, Ken Collins and Fiona Kerins.

Section 140 motions, if approved, must be implemented by officials. This motion would have directed the executive to “re-open the Ballincollig fire station immediately with a full-time fire service while maintaining current staffing levels elsewhere”.

Industrial dispute

It was tabled against the backdrop of an industrial relations dispute involving the city’s firefighters which is nearing its 100th day. 

An interim proposal, agreed by the council and Siptu at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on June 7, which would have seen the station reopen from 9am to 6pm, was rejected by firefighters. Talks are due to resume at the WRC on Wednesday.

In a five-page report, council chief executive, Ann Doherty, said the Ballincollig station ground has been classed as a “medium low-risk station ground” with 230 incidents per year, compared to Anglesea St  station, with 1,541 incidents per year, and Ballyvolane station with almost 1,120 incidents per year — both are categorised as being very high risk.

“A full-time service is not required for this [Ballincollig] station ground as confirmed by national guidance. It has always been a station ground served by a retained fire crew,” she said.

Callouts in the city brigade have reduced by 20% over the last 20 years, while approved brigade staffing levels over that time have not changed, she said.

The Ballincollig station was not designed for and is unsuitable as a building providing a full-time fire service. 

She said 20 recommendations arising out of a strategic city-wide review of the fire service are being implemented, a recruitment campaign for retained fire fighters is ongoing, and WRC talks will resume on Wednesday.

She also told councillors staffing and industrial relations matters should be dealt with by officials, and that adopting the motion “would be inappropriate”.

Meeting suspended

Ms Bogue reacted angrily to the report and when she ignored several requests from the Lord Mayor, Kieran McCarthy, to resume her seat, he suspended the meeting for half an hour.

When it resumed, she branded some figures in the report as “cloud cuckoo” stuff and said the council has not applied for national capital funding to adopt fire stations, accusing senior city officials of being "asleep at the wheel”.

Ballincollig-based Fianna Fáil councillor, Colm Kelleher, said he wants a full-time fire-fighting service in his town but “not like this” especially in the context of a live industrial relations dispute.

He branded those behind the motion as “sellers of false hope” who have engaged in “shameless, unconcealed political electioneering in its fullest form”.

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Fine Gael councillor Derry Canty said he was frustrated and angry because there was no ‘plan B’ when the town lost its retained fire service while FG councillor Garett Kelleher branded the motion a “political stunt” and said it was “absolutely undeliverable”.

FF councillor Terry Shannon warned those in the public galleries to “beware the purveyors of snake oil” and FG councillor Shane O’Callaghan said if the seven councillors who signed the motion were “genuine and serious” about the proposal they would have come up with concrete proposals to find the required €4.6m, rather than grandstanding.

SF councillor Fiona Kerins hit back and said the country is awash with money and that when the banks needed a bailout, Fianna Fail was able to “shake a large money tree” to find €64bn.

The motion was defeated 18-5 with three abstentions — John Maher, Derry Canty, and Colm Kelleher.