Stardust fire disaster - Fire service needs proper resourcing

AFTER an agonising wait of 26 years, the families of five unidentified victims of the 1981 Stardust disaster have at long last laid them to rest, bringing closure of a kind to one of the most harrowing tragedies ever to occur in Ireland.

As a result of advances in scientific know-how, complex DNA testing led to the identification of the remains of victims recently exhumed from a communal plot.

Following five separate funeral masses and reburials last week, the headstones will now bear the names of Richard Bennett, Michael Ffrench, Murty Kavanagh, Eamon Loughman and Paul Wade.

This will bring solace to families who have campaigned tirelessly for the exhumation and DNA testing of unidentified remains. It will mean partial conclusion of a prolonged campaign by relatives trying to get at the truth of what happened on that fateful February night.

Credit is due to Justice Minister Michael McDowell for taking the humane decision to allow the exhumation go ahead and also for agreeing the State should fund both DNA testing and the cost of reburial.

Arguably, if an equally open-minded approach were adopted by investigators 26 years ago, the uncertainties that have hounded the Kavanagh family might have been eased. Although their son was the only victim with a denture plate, investigators failed to link this to dental records supplied by his family in the immediate aftermath of the fire. Ever since, the family has been haunted by unanswered questions.

Naturally, the opportunity to finally mark the grave of their relative with a headstone is of immense importance to the families concerned. Nonetheless, the pain of losing so many young men and women will never be allayed.

Nor are the campaigners convinced justice has been fully served. Indeed, the trauma continues because they have to receive government funding for an independent inquiry that was promised on April 16. Effectively, this means the Stardust Victims’ Committee can’t arrange for expert witnesses to appear on their behalf in support of a submission entitled “Nothing But The Truth”, a report compiled by legal and fire experts representing the families.

They hope to establish that highly flammable expanded polystyrene insulation material in the air ducting system not only led to the rapid spread of fire but also places serious doubt on the original tribunal’s finding of “probable arson”. Concern over the loss of time caused by the lack of funding has been raised by the committee, especially as the inquiry is being run on a tight schedule.

For them, there is little consolation to be gained from hearing a government spokesman say the agreed funding of 400,000 was going through “the normal finance processes” and that it is being dealt with as “a matter of urgency”. Hopefully, it will receive a far greater degree of urgency than has been given to the crucial issue of overhauling the national fire service.

Ever since the disaster, fire officers have been clamouring for better resources.

Experts have repeatedly called on the Government to bring Ireland’s neglected fire service into line with international practice in dealing with big disasters. However, if another Stardust were to happen, the weight of expert opinion suggests the fire services would be unable to cope. There is an onus on any new government to heed such dire warnings and properly resource the country’s fire service.