Bid to save Carnew fire service

April 2003

SIX young men from Carnew have put their names forward as candidates to join the local fire service, and thus save it from extinction.

The applicants, who are all in their 20s and from the village, will have to pass an interview and medical test, and undergo a programme of training before they can join the crew of the Carnew brigade, a spokesman said.

If they are all successful, they will bring the strength of the fire brigade to 11, two more than the minimum needed to make it a viable unit.

Just three weeks ago Jim Dunphy, the chief fire officer, warned that the Carnew fire-brigade service could be under threat because they did not have sufficient manpower to maintain a viable service.

He revealed that there were only five crew attached to the Carnew brigade when a minimum of nine firemen was required to meet their obligations.

Local councillor Pat Doran this week confirmed that six people had now sent in applications to join the Carnew crew.

‘All of them are good candidates and all are interested’, he said.

He said that the people of Carnew were shocked when they learned that the fire-brigade service could be under threat.

No-one wanted to lose the fire brigade. ‘We are delighted to see six local people coming forward and we would welcome more people putting their names forward to ensure the continued existence of the fire-brigade in Carnew into the future’ Mr. Doran, who is a Fianna Fail councillor for the area, said.