Civil Defence training day in Tralee

CIVIL Defence Teams from across Munster were in Tralee on Saturday to take part in a series of exercises.

Volunteers from Limerick, Cork South, Cork West and Cork North travelled to the kingdom for the day long exercise which was the result of months of planning by Kerry Civil Defence Officer Tom Brosnan and his team.

Mr Brosnan directed the day’ events with volunteers from the Kerry team helping run the exercises.

The exercise centred on the Canal Basin in Tralee where the teams were put through various tasks and tests to display their sills in treating casualties, first aid, search and rescue, radio communications, fire and flood response.

Though a serious event there was also a fun element to the exercises which are also designed to encourage team building and leadership skills.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for members of different units and sections to integrate and be part of a team working through several difference scenarios which volunteers could be potentially responding to,” said Kerry Civil Defence Operations Commander Paul Baynam.

Commander Baynam also thanked the people of Tralee for the help in organising the day’s events and their patience and understanding as the training exercises were carried out.

At the end of the day’s exercises the Cork West Civil Defence team were crowned overall winners in the Southern Region while Cork South Civil Defence won the ‘Dress and Drill’ competition.

Following the day’s exertions there the teams had a chance to relax and get to know each other at a dinner hosted by Kerry Civil Defence at the Manor West Hotel.

At the dinner the Civil Defence teams were also joined by Director General of the Civil Defence Stephen Hall; Secretary General of the Department of Defence Robert Mooney and Kerry County Council Director of Services John Breen,

Training exercise photos by Domnick Walsh Eye Focus. Members of the Kerry Civil Defence team in action in front of the Marina Apartments at the Canal Basin in Tralee on Saturday afternoon as Kerry Civil Defence hosted a training day for Munster Civil Defence teams.

Civil Defecne Volunteers prepare for a series of training exercises at the Canal Basin in Tralee on Saturday afternoon.

Patrick McCarthy, Joan Joy, Tom Brosnan (C.D.O.), Pater Losberg and Ciarán Nugent at the post training day exercise hosted by Kerry Civil Defence at Manor West Hotel on Saturday night.

Volunteers from the Kerry Civil Defence team who took part in the Munster Civil Defence training exercises in Tralee on Saturday.

Samanta O’Callaghan, Tralee and Andrew Foran from Castleisland at the Civil Defence Training Day in Tralee at the weekend.

Snr Officer Nigel Corner and Officer John Fitzgerald from Tralee oversee the Civil Defence training exercises.

Jamie Alan, Gillian Lucid, Mary O’Donoghue and Maurice Brosnan at the Kerry Civil Defence dinner at Manor West Hotel

Sean Horgan and Peter Clark from Tralee with Ger Sheehan from Cork at the Civil Defence exercises