Funding of €200,000 for Kilkenny City Fire and Rescue Service

Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien visited the Kilkenny City Fire Station where he handed over the keys of a new fire engine.

Funding in the amount of €200,000 was made available by the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage to provide one new and one second hand fire engine for the Kilkenny City Fire and Rescue Service.  Also during this week Minister O’Brien approved funding in the amount of €242,000 for the provision of battery-operated road traffic collision equipment for Kilkenny.  Both of these investments represent a significant commitment to continued improvement of the Fire and Rescue Service in Kilkenny and will enhance the service provided to the people of the county.

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Kilkenny has benefited from the construction of new fire stations at Castlecomer and Graignamanagh in recent years and in December 2020 Minister O’Brien announced the Fire Service Capital Progamme for the period 2021-2025, which represents a €61m investment nationally.  Under this Plan Kilkenny received funding for the provision of two new fire stations, at Urlingford and Kilkenny City and for the new Fire Tender being introduced to the service today. Together these projects represent an €8m investment in the Kilkenny Fire & Rescue Service.

The fire station at Urlingford is under construction and due for completion in 2023 and the process of site selection in respect of the Kilkenny City Station is well advanced.

Welcoming Minister O’Brien to Kilkenny, Chief Fire Officer, John Collins thanked the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for its continued support and investment in the Kilkenny Fire Service.

 “All of these investments together allow us to provide an well trained, high quality fire and rescue service to the people of Kilkenny, 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.”

Cathaoirleach Cllr Pat Fitzpatrick, congratulated all associated with the provision of the new engine and fire station at Urlingford and extended his thanks to the members of the Kilkenny Fire and Rescue service, which is a retained fire service.

“Their contribution to Kilkenny is immense, whether it is in severe weather or flooding events as recently experienced in north Kilkenny, or in responding to traumatic incidents like house fires or road traffic accidents.”  Cllr Fitzpatrick took the opportunity to encourage everybody to be Fire Safety Aware, in particular during the winter period, and to ensure that they fit and maintain working smoke alarms in their homes.

Director of Services, Mary Mulholland, welcomed Minister O’Brien to Kilkenny and in particular to the Fire and Rescue service and thanked him for the significant investment in the service.

Ms. Mulholland also thanked the members of the Fire and Rescue service and their families for their steadfast commitment to keeping the people of Kilkenny safe and to assisting them when most needed.

“Calling on the Fire and Rescue service means that fire fighters leave their families at all hours, spend many, many hours in difficult situations, helping the people of Kilkenny.  We need to acknowledge the Fire and Rescue Service as one of the most important services provided by Kilkenny County Council and  we take the opportunity to acknowledge the dedication and commitment of our retained firefighters and to thank them for their service.”