There was widespread anger this week following the announcement at Monday’s meeting of Roscommon County Council of the intention to permanently close Castlerea Fire Station.
The announcement was made by Roscommon County Council Chief Executive, Eugene Cummins, following the presentation of a report on fire services in the county by Chief Fire Officer, John Keane. The report was peer reviewed by former Dublin Chief Fire Officer, Pat Fleming. The station had been closed for three and a half years due to staffing issues.
Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane, who was at Monday’s meeting, described the CEO’s decision as “outrageous” and said it would have “grave consequences”.
“This is an outrageous decision by the Chief Executive of Roscommon County Council. Castlerea is the second largest town in County Roscommon. It is a hugely residential town with a number of schools and factories. One of the largest prisons in the State is in the town. Despite all of this, the Chief Executive has decided that a life or death service is not necessary.
“This announcement is not the end, as far as I am concerned. I am going to bring this issue to the attention of the Minister this week because I believe that the statutory obligation on Roscommon County Council to provide a fire service is not being met.
“People in Castlerea pay their property tax and are entitled to basic services. A Fire Service is a basic service and I will not give up on this issue until it is reinstated. This decision will have grave consequences for Castlerea,” she said.
Meanwhile, Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice said that now was the time to redouble efforts to find a solution to staffing issues at the station.
“Whether it is admitted or not in the report, in my opinion, one of the main contributing factors to the recent closure has been the complete breakdown in the process to find solutions to the prolonged HR situation that evolved at the station in recent years. It is well known that a number of people tried to see if a solution could be found, but unfortunately it hasn’t.
“I do hope that common sense will prevail over the coming months and I think we need to get an independent review done of the areas and their requirements,” he said.
Speaking at Monday’s meeting, Mr. Cummins said that Castlerea is serviced by 18 fire services and that response times reflect national standards. He added that there were six firefighters on the payroll at Castlerea and that he was closing the station not because he wanted to, but because he “had to”.
His announcement was met by anger in the Roscommon County Council chamber, however, with a number of councillors criticising the decision.
Cllr. Paschal Fitzmaurice said he was “bitterly disappointed”.
“My argument will always be that for the size of the town and area we should have a fire service. I acknowledge that Castlerea Fire Station has been closed for three and a half years and that the statistics may say the service is relatively safe for the town.
“My own view, however, is that the east side of Castlerea, if serviced by Ballyhaunis or Ballaghaderreen, is (approximately) twenty minutes’ drive away. Twenty minutes is too long in case of emergency. Other areas are very fortunate to be closer (to fire stations) and I’m very disappointed that our local station is shut.
“I still think the CEO (Eugene Cummins) should reflect on his decision because, as an urban population, Castlerea is one of the furthest points from a fire station,” he said.
Cllr. Orla Leyden said the public would be “aghast” at the decision while Cllr. Michael Mulligan claimed that the issues surrounding the station should have been resolved three and a half years ago. Cllrs. Kathleen Shanagher, Liam Callaghan and Tony Waldron also expressed their disappointment.
Earlier, following the presentation of the report by Chief Fire Officer John Keane, Council CEO Eugene Cummins justified his decision to close the station, stating the report “confirms the county has an effective and efficient fire service” compliant with the Fire Services Act.
