At the Class B Fire Appliance Handover at Ennis Firestation were from left Eric Treacy, Westward Scania , Pat Dowling, CEO Clare County Council, Mayor of Clare Alan O’Callaghan , JP McGrath, Station Officer Ennis Firestation, Michael Howard, High Precision Motor Products (HPMP) and Adrian Kelly , Chief Fire Officer Photograph by Eamon Ward
A NEW vehicle worth half a million euro has been added to the fleet of Clare Fire Services.
On Monday, the new Class B Fire Appliance arrived at Ennis Fire Station. At a cost of €549,000, the state-of-the-art vehicle was fully funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage under their Fire Appliance Procurement Programme 2023 – 2025.
There are presently 81 operational personnel working for the Fire and Rescue Service in Co Clare. The new vehicle represents a significant investment and will further enhance the response capabilities of Ennis Fire Brigade to emergencies in the Ennis area and surrounds.
Built by HPMP Ltd in Carlow, the new vehicle contains a full range of firefighting equipment, including portable pump, generator, ladders and crash rescue equipment. It is built on a Scania P360 18 Tonne Chassis supplied by Westward Scania, Strokestown. The coachwork is a copolymer plastic construction, with an integrated 1,800 litre water tank.
Clare’s Chief Fire Officer Adrian Kelly said, “This new vehicle will be based at Ennis Fire Station as part of Clare’s Fire and Rescue Services emergency response, along with an additional Class B Fire Appliance, Emergency Tender, ‘Bronto’ Aerial Rescue, water tanker and four-wheel drive van. 2024 has seen several upgrades to the county fleet with two Incident Support Units provided for Killaloe and Kilrush Fire Brigades earlier this year”.
Further enhancements to infrastructure are planned for next year, he advised, “with the refurbishment of the Ennis Emergency Tender improving the fleet of 33 vehicles and upgrading equipment. We also continue our recruitment drive to ensure that we have appropriate numbers of personnel in each of our seven Fire Stations”.
Chief Executive of Clare County Council, Pat Dowling stated, “We have clearly seen a progression in fire service investment here in Clare in the last ten years. This vehicle and other new vehicles are very important, but it is the people in our fire service that make the real difference. It is important therefore that we continue to support our personnel with the proper equipment and vehicles, as they work day and night to support the people of Clare in times of crisis, natural disasters and emergency events”.
Members of the Fire Service were praised by Cathaoirleahc of Clare County Council, Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) for their work during Storm Darragh. He added, “This vehicle will be used a lot in County Clare, by a crew that provides a huge service to the county. Just this weekend we saw fire service personnel out clearing roads from before dawn, making the county safe again for everyone. I would like to express my gratitude for their tireless efforts.”
Echoing that sense of appreciation, Clare County Council Director of Service Alan Farrell paid tribute to the management and membership of the fire service in Clare. He also thanked the designers and builders of the new Class B Fire Appliance which will support the fire crews for years to come.
