Tipperary fire station to become national training hub as part of local upgrades
Nenagh fire station is set to take on a new role within the national fire service
At the April meeting of Tipperary County Council, newly appointed Chief Fire Officer John Shinnors was joined by Director of Services Brian Beck to provide councillors with a detailed update on a number of major developments and recent funding announcements relating to Tipperary’s fire service.
Among the most significant developments discussed was confirmation that Nenagh fire station is set to take on a new role within the national fire service and has been earmarked as a specialist training hub for firefighters from across the country.
Mr Shinnors informed councillors that Nenagh will become one of three new development centres alongside Monaghan town and Hacketstown in Carlow. While Clonmel already serves as the national fire training centre, Nenagh’s role will be more specialised, with training focused on hazardous materials incidents and road traffic collisions.
He told the meeting that the development would allow new recruits to complete all of their training locally in Nenagh, further strengthening the station’s role within the national system.
Earlier in the discussion, Mr Beck outlined the recent capital funding received by Tipperary County Council to upgrade Roscrea fire station, construct a new station in Borrisokane and expand Nenagh fire station “in terms of significant training facilities in Nenagh.” He revealed that the total amount of funding received by Tipperary under these capital grants is in the region of €14 million.
Mr Beck also shared that two new appliances had been received in recent weeks, while approval had also been granted for additional appliances for a number of Tipperary stations as well as ancillary vehicles.
Responding to a question from Cllr Michael O’Meara, Mr Beck also shared that the new station in Borrisokane is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
Cllr John O’Heney expressed concerns in relation to staffing levels in Tipperary following recent headlines about Newport fire station, in response to which Mr Beck stated that this is the only station experiencing staffing issues while other stations were operating satisfactorily. He referenced the recent open day at the station, which he described as encouraging, and said efforts would continue to attract new firefighters into the service.
Mr Beck said the county’s 140 firefighters represent a “hugely important asset” to Tipperary and noted that the service is delivered through 12 stations operating on a week-on, week-off rota. He also outlined that between 1,700 and 1,900 callouts are handled annually across the county.