Firecall Summer 2021

SUMMER 2021

FIRECALL OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF DUBLIN FIRE, AMBULANCE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LENS PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER DAMIEN STORAN

UPGRADING THE FLEET NEW VEHICLES AND DIGITAL MIGRATION

DUBLIN FIRE RESCUE EMERGENCY AMBULANCE SERVICE

PROTECTING THE CITY AND COUNTY SINCE 1862

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EDITOR’S LETTER

Editor: Adam Hyland Consulting Editor: Dan Fynes Contributors: Dan Fynes, Ger Ryan, Mark Toner Designer: James Moore Cover Credit: Damien Storan Photography: Dublin Fire Brigade, Dublin City Council, Damien Storan, Ray McMonagle, Trevor Hunt, Adam Hyland, Paul Rock, Michael Duggan, Dave Kavanagh, Dave Connolly, Keith Mason, Mark Toner, Sandycover, Hachette, Mercier Press Sales Manager: David Byrne Production Executive: Claire Kiernan Publisher: Chesterfox Ltd, T/A Firecall Magazine, P.O. Box 6766, Dublin 2.

Tel: (01) 432 2200; Fax: (01) 6727100 Managing Director: Gerry Tynan Chairman: Diarmaid Lennon Distribution by: Magazine Mailing Ashville Media Group Unit 55, Park West Road, Park West, Dublin 12 Tel: (01) 432 2200 Fax: (01) 676 6043 Publisher’s Statement: The information in Firecall is carefully researched and believed to be accurate and authoritative, but neither the Dublin Fire Brigade Sports & Social Club nor the publisher can accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. Statements and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Editor or of the publisher.

Copyright ©2021 Firecall Magazine No part of this may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher.

Dear readers, Welcome to the latest issue of Firecall. We are not quite out of the woods yet, but the roll out of vaccines and the gradual easing of restrictions has meant that some activities have once again become possible, and over the last few months a combination of on-site and Zoom interviews has provided this issue with some interesting articles and features.

One such feature details the work of photojournalist Damien Storan, who generously shared his time (and images) in talking about life as a press photographer. You may have seen him at scenes, covering the news for various media outlets, and in this issue, he talks about the professionalism and ethics involved in capturing the real story of firefighters and paramedics responding to challenging scenarios.

It was also a pleasure to talk to Fire Captain Andrea Hall of the South Fulton, Georgia, Fire and Rescue Department in the US. Captain Hall gave the Pledge of Allegiance at the inauguration of President Joe Biden in January, representing half a million firefighters as she took to the podium. Her story is one of many firsts, and makes for a fascinating read.

I was fortunate to visit the Service Support Unit to talk about recent additions to the fleet on the day the last ever analogue call came through before the migration to the digital TETRA system was completed. Third Officer John Guilfoyle, D/O Martin Cooke, and A/C/F/O Richard Hedderman gave me a thorough overview of what was involved in integrating these new vehicles as part of the fleet replacement programme, while A/C/F/O John Moody spoke to me via Zoom about this and the change to new call signs. My thanks to all for taking the time to talk about a remarkable achievement of logistics and technological advancement.

Michael Duggan’s story of his reunion with the vintage truck Ladder 5211 featured in the spring issue is one of remarkable coincidence, and I’m sure you will enjoy reading about it too, while former DFB member Paul Rock’s story of coordinating a huge humanitarian aid project details the fantastic work he has done. Huge thanks to both of them, and to retired member Martin Williams for sharing his stories. Special thanks must also go to S/O Dave Connolly for meeting me before his shift started to talk about life on D Watch in Kilbarrack.

Elsewhere, the DFB Golf Society celebrates their 50th anniversary, the Pipe Band recounts recent events, and the rugby club looks forward to returning to the pitch.

As always, I would encourage anybody who wants to talk about any upcoming endeavours, or who has an idea for a story, to get in touch with me. This is your magazine, and you are all welcome to contribute.

I hope you enjoy the read,

38 A MESSAGE OF UNITY

South Fulton Georgia Fire Captain Andrea Hall

46 THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LENS Press Photographer Damien Storan

52 GOING GLOBAL

Former DFB member Paul Rock’s Humanitarian Work

We are updating our mailing list. If your contact details are out of date, please email: adam.hyland@ ashvillemediagroup.com

FIRECALL SUMMER

01

SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB

CONTENTS SUMMER 2021

52 GOING GLOBAL

Former FF/P Paul Rock’s Humanitarian Aid Project

58 AN UNEXPECTED REUNION

Michael Duggan and the Glen Cove Fire Truck

62

62 LOUD AND PROUD

Helping Celebrate Pride

FEATURES 16 A GOOD CAUSE

The CISM Challenge Coin for Charity

21 MARKING 50 YEARS

The DFB Golf Club’s Big Anniversary

24 ADDITIONS TO THE FLEET

New Ambulances and the Fleet Replacement Programme

28 THE GREAT MIGRATION

Moving to the TETRA Digital System

24

38 A MESSAGE OF UNITY

Fire Captain Andrea Hall, South Fulton, Georgia

43 RUGBY’S RETURN

The Club Plans New Fixtures

46 THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LENS

Press Photographer Damien Storan

SUMMER 02 FIRECALL

46

38

4TH JULY

Check out more features and news from past issues at FIRECALL.IE

18 REGULARS 01 EDITOR’S LETTER 02 CONTENTS 05 SECRETARY’S FOREWORD 06 DFBSSC UPDATES AND SUMMER NIGHTS RECAP 11 DFB IN BRIEF 18 FROM WITHIN THE CIRCLE DFB Pipe Band Update

33 STATION PROFILE

D Watch Kilbarrack

65 RETIRED MEMBER PROFILE Martin Williams

71 LOCKDOWN TV

The Latest Binge-Watch Recommendations

06

73

73 TRAVEL

Northern Exposure

75 INTERNATIONAL NEWS 77 BOOKSHELF 79 TECHNOLOGY

The Latest Innovations for the Emergency Services

65 FIRECALL SUMMER

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19/08/2021 16/08/2021 14:10 15:15

FOREWORD

Honorary Secretary’s

FOREWORD

W

elcome readers to our summer 2021 issue of Firecall.

We have not yet returned to normality, but we are getting there, and while we continue to praise all DFB members for their ongoing commitment to serving the city, we have also been able to see some events take place to offer muchneeded social outlets.

The Summer Nights Out have been a great success, and thanks must go to Ger Ryan for the huge amount of work he and Paul McCann have put into their organisation. Helped by some incredibly good weather, there was a lot of interest in these outdoor functions that helped bring people together again for a night of fun and socialising, and we hope to have more outings like it in the near future.

It is also great to see some of our sports and social clubs starting to organise and hold events again. Congratulations must go to the Golf Society, who this year mark their 50th anniversary with several outings and competitions scheduled, and decked in new kit, the rugby team are ready to take on all comers again soon.

We all know a huge amount of work went into the planning, procurement and rollout of new vehicles in the last year, with the added job of migrating all frontline vehicles to the new TETRA system, so it is great to see detailed here just what was involved from the Services Support Unit in Stanley Street.

It’s also interesting to read about the very impressive work done by former DFB member Paul Rock in coordinating enormous humanitarian aid shipments to India, Nepal and Brazil when they were in urgent need following surges in COVID-19 numbers. His story is testament to the grounding a DFB career can provide, and the skills that can be put to use not just in our city, but on a global scale.

Our feature on press photographer Damien Storan is also very interesting.

Anybody who has seen him at a call out will know about his professional manner, and here he describes the ethics and outlook he employs to take captivating images. If you see him at future incidents, you can be assured he will always portray DFB in the best possible light.

Fire Captain Andrea Hall went from small-town Georgia to representing half a million firefighters when she gave the Pledge of Allegiance at the inauguration of US President Joe Biden in January, and we thank her for taking time to tell her story, while the profiles of D Watch in Kilbarrack and retired member Martin Williams, the original ROMEO, are entertaining reads.

Remember that this is your magazine, so if you have an interesting DFBrelated story to tell (or even just an idea for one), or if you want to highlight an event past, present or future involving your club, society, Watch or station, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the editor, whose email address can be found in the sidebar.

The last year and a half have been especially difficult, but hopefully we will soon see the world return to a sense of normality, and the Sports and Social Club are working hard to make sure there are plenty of outlets and opportunities for people to relax, have fun, and socialise together again in the coming months.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy reading this issue, and my thanks to all who contributed to it..

DAN FYNES

If you haven’t already done so, please order your new ID card by emailing idcards@dfbssc.ie with an attached headshot (on a neutral background), your name, pay number, station, watch and location.

We are trying very hard to make sure that all DFBSSC members receive their copy of Firecall. Anybody who is not receiving theirs should email the editor Adam Hyland with their address: adam.hyland@ashvillemediagroup.com

Dan Fynes FIRECALL SUMMER

05

SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB

SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB UPDATE

WE TAKE A LOOK AT RECENT EVENTS FOR MEMBERS OF THE DUBLIN FIRE BRIGADE SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB (DFBSSC).

I

would like to start by wishing congratulations to the DFB Golf Society on reaching the milestone of 50 years and for still going strong. It takes good support and a dedicated team to reach this anniversary, both of which I know the Golf Society has in spades. I wish them continued success for many more years.

CLUB FUNCTIONS Unfortunately, due to the ongoing challenges we are all facing while dealing with COVID-19, our Summer Family event could not be held this year for the second year running.

We are continually monitoring the restrictions in place, and for this reason we have not decided which format our family Christmas event will take. We have a couple of options available and the most suitable and safest one for all will be decided upon by the Committee.

RETIREMENT FUNCTIONS With the ever-increasing numbers of retirements to add to those that have preceded them, we have provisionally pencilled in two dates for functions next year. This is all dependent on the restrictions in place, and for that reason are obviously subject to change. Plenty of notice will be given to all attendees, and we are looking forward to catching up with all of you and giving you the send-off you all deserve.

SUMMER WATCH NIGHTS A big thank to all who attended our recent Watch nights in the Church SUMMER 06 FIRECALL

Bar. They were a great success, and something we hope to do again later in the year. These nights would not be possible without the hard work of the Committee, in particular, Ger and Paul, who managed the logistics for all the nights. Some of what was involved in the organisation of these important social outings is detailed in the following pages. In addition to the Committee, I would like to also thank the Staff and Management in The Church Bar who are always a pleasure to deal with.

WORLD FIREFIGHTER GAMES LISBON 2022 & WORLD POLICE AND FIRE GAMES ROTTERDAM 2022 We are looking to hear from those interested in travelling to either of these Games next year to represent the DFB. They are both extremely well-organised events, a chance to compete against other emergency services from around the world, and importantly, a lot of fun. I know some of our sports clubs are busy trying to organise numbers for their individual

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SPORTS AND SOCIALCLUB

sports, but if you’re thinking of going, just let us know by emailing us, (dfbsportsteam@gmail.com) including WFG or WPFG or BOTH in the subject line, as well as your name, station and watch in the email.

Further information and links to the sites of both games are available on our social media sites.

4 R Connell (B ERCC) 5 P Lavelle (C2)

MONTHLY DRAWS Congratulations to all of the winners of our monthly draws. Please contact Paul Mc Cann (C Watch ERCC) to arrange collection of your prize. All winners will receive a 100 voucher.

July 1 L Adamson (C ERCC) 2 B Mc Nicholas (T/O) 3 R Connolly (C ERCC) 4 B Lodola (A1) 5 K Maher (A5)

April 1 B Mulvaney (A8) 2 I Foley (B2) 3 S Owens (A1) 4 M Kearns (C1) 5 D Donnelly (A2)

August 1 M Lodola (C HQ) 2 J Walsh (D12) 3 A Keeley (D4) 4 R Murphy (B7) 5 D Maguire (B4)

May 1 L Bailey (C9) 2 J Meehan (A4) 3 D Baitson (B HQ)

September 1 D Lorenzo (D9) 2 B Gilbert (A HQ) 3 R Young (B6)

4 Q Moran (C HQ) 5 A Cullen (B4) 12

June 1 E Light (C2) 2 P Whelan (D5) 3 D Murray (A2) 4 R Currie (C HQ) 5 A Rogers (D7)

FINALLY On behalf of the Club, I would like to thank all our members for their continued support. I would like to congratulate all that have retired recently and wish them a long and happy retirement. I would also like to welcome all of our new members.

Our membership continues to grow, and will grow further when our new recruits pass out early in the New Year. Until then, I wish them well with the rest of their Recruit training.

We are always looking for suggestions or ideas from the membership, so should you have any, please speak with any member of the Committee or email myself at secretary@dfbssc.ie and your ideas/ suggestions will be brought forward at the next Committee meeting.

Thank you for your continued support.

Dan Fynes, Secretary, DFBSSC

FIRECALL SUMMER

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SUMMER NIGHTS

THE RETURN OF SUMMER NIGHTS DFBSSC was delighted with the success of the Summer Watch Nights and looks forward to more in the near future, Ger Ryan tells Adam Hyland.

A

s mentioned in the Club Updates, the organisation of the annual Summer Watch Nights out was a welcome return to a degree of normality for DFBSSC members, and a great chance to catch up with friends and colleagues from across the Brigade.

The pandemic had put a necessary halt on these much-anticipated events, but thanks to the work of the Social Committee made up of members from across Watches and stations, the flexibility and generosity of the Church Bar, and the willingness of DFB members to attend made these a great success. They underline the renewed emphasis on the social aspect of the DFBSSC, and a lot of work has gone into this aspect of the club to make them happen again.

“Traditionally, Thursday nights were always the night for social events, when you’d work Wednesday night and Thursday day, and then go for a few drinks, usually in McTorcaill’s, which is gone now,” FF/AP Ger Ryan tells me, “They were a good way to have old-fashioned diffusion where people could relax, chat and catch up, to unwind from the stresses of work.

However, over the years the social nights had dwindled, but when Dan Fynes and Declan Rice took over the running of DFBSSC, we started to SU M M ER 8 FIRECALL

have nights out in the River Bar, twice a year around April and October. These were usually joint Watch nights, but it was hard to find suitable nights that worked for everyone, so they progressed into single Watch nights, and that went on for about a year or so at the River Bar, after which we moved on to the Church Bar where we are now.

“COVID-19 has meant we weren’t able to hold any nights out, so myself and Paul McCann were eager to get them going again. We were approached

by Darren from the Church Bar, who told us what they could do for us, and he came up with a safe and comfortable solution – an outdoor area completely separated from everybody else, ten tables that can sit six people at each, giving us a capacity of 60.”

With all DFB members fully vaccinated, it was still important to be able to hold these events in a safe environment, separate from the public, and with this reassurance, the number of attendees rose from previous nights out.

“This is a combination of people not being able to socialise for the last 18 months and wanting to get out,” Paul says, “and within the DFBSSC we are seeing a big increase in our member numbers with almost all new recruits signing up, so the numbers in general are going up. This year the weather has helped, especially for outdoor socialising.

“The photos show that people who haven’t had a chance to see each other since recruit class were now able to get together and socialise. For them to meet and catch up is great. On top of that, the 2020 recruits didn’t even get to have a night out after they passed out, so these nights are a great opportunity to meet up again. The idea is to get people together where normally they couldn’t, and to provide an environment that is safe, the way The Church laid it out.”

This safety was assured through hard work and taking on some newer ways of organising the events. Ger had used appointment slots to organise attendance at the outdoor Christmas event last year, but knew he needed a better way to tally numbers and keep everyone COVID-secure.

“That was all done with pen and paper,” he tells me, “but I got some advice from the 1875 Club, who told me they were using Eventbrite to make reservations and time slots for their events. So, this year we have been using this app, which helps us get an idea of numbers who are going to attend on the night. If we are approaching capacity, we can give the venue the heads up in advance.

“As well as that, it automatically gives us a contact tracing list, so we can have a full list of names. On the night, people sign in, like they would now have to do at a restaurant, and we can contact trace, get advance numbers, and allow for more space and tables and chairs if needs be. We can also see what stations or groups tend not to go to these events, and we can ask for

SUMMER NIGHTS

feedback from them to see how we can accommodate them.”

This new method also means it is easier for members to join in and find out about events.

“It’s easier to get involved,” Ger tells me. “You just get the Eventbrite app and register, so you can find out about what is going on, rather than us having the old-fashioned way of putting a poster on the wall of a station that only some people will take notice of.”

This is on top of the ramping up of social media activity within DFB in recent years.

“There are more channels than we ever had before. We have the Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter, as well as the WhatsApp station groups, which are great, because with each station rep controlling it, they can make sure that people on leave or away for any reason can still be included and can know what is coming up or going on,” Ger says. “We are encouraging reps to add new members to the groups, and also those who aren’t in it to join it, so they can see all the information that we are getting out there. We can say goodbye

to the days when people don’t go to these events because they didn’t know or hear about it.

“Members are also able to see how much craic the nights out can be when they see the photos shared on social media, and they are more likely to sign up themselves as a result. As the new

FIRECALL SU M M ER

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SUMMER NIGHTS

recruits come in, the younger the profile gets, and the more people we have who want to socialise outside of work.”

As for this summer’s nights out, Ger tells me a lot of craic was had, with food and drink on hand for everybody.

“Thanks to DFBSSC food and drinks were provided,” he says.

“Drinks vouchers were handed out on arrival, and food platters brought out to enjoy. There were also reps there for every night to take charge of signing in, issuing vouchers, and letting us know how things are progressing, but the main idea of the nights is to eat, drink and be merry!”

There were five nights out in total this summer, with one for each Watch, and this year, another for the nonoperational staff who are members of DFBSSC. “That came about after feedback we received saying this group couldn’t go out on a Thursday night because they were in work on a Friday, so we decided to trial a Friday night to see how it went. We want to be able to provide a social outlet for all staff, so it was an obvious decision to also put on this night for those staff.

“We would also like to go back to having the nights out later in the year, and we don’t want them too close to Christmas so we will be looking at around October or November,” Ger adds. “We would also encourage all SU M M ER 10 FIRECALL

members to come up with ideas, so if they think we could do something better we can take it on board. Also, if members have suggestions of other activities, we can take them on board.

For instance, we had the suggestion of meeting up for coffees in the OPW coffee shop in Phoenix Park, and we are looking at that.”

Ger urges members to encourage other members of their crew or Watch to get involved because of the importance of getting together to unwind and share a few laughs.

“Socialising is a very important aspect of our job, and it is a great way to meet up with people that you might not have been able to catch up with

for years,” he tells me. “There has been a very good mix of all ages and all ranks from officers to new recruits at these nights out, and the whole thing is inclusive for everybody.

“We want to keep the tradition of meeting up on a Thursday night going, and these developments are helping to make that happen. It’s important to remember that the DFBSSC is not just about sport, it is also about socialising, and that’s not just nights out but many other things we are looking to do and are happy to take suggestions on. We are definitely looking forward to next year when hopefully we can add more social aspects to our calendar.”

DFB IN BRIEF

DFB IN BRIEF A recap of Dublin Fire Brigade news and events over the past few weeks and months.

ABOVE: Fingal Lord Mayor David Healy joined us as we teamed up with Fingal County Council to encourage people to stay safe on the roads, on the water, and at home this summer.

LEFT: D Watch Phibsboro keeping their extrication techniques up to speed.

ABOVE: Firefighters in Finglas receive training on the Wildland Firefighting Backpack that holds 20 litres of water and with careful application of water can prevent fire spread.

RIGHT: Four units from Tara Street and Dolphin’s Barn rescued two people from the roof at a well-developed fire in an apartment block off Francis Street in June.

ABOVE: Bidding a fond farewell to D/O and Mobilisation officer Brendan Lodola after 34 years of service across several Watches, stations and roles in June..

LEFT: HQ’s D Watch at a woof rescue in June after an 8-weekold French Bulldog pup became trapped under the passenger seat of its new human’s car.

RIGHT: Finishing up on a call to extinguish grass alight on Bull Island in mid-May.

FIRECALL SUMMER

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DFB IN BRIEF

ABOVE: DFB joined the Defence Forces for the Centenary of the Burning of the Custom House Remembrance event on 25 May. LEFT: FF/Advanced Paramedic and tutor Michelle O’Toole leaves to pursue a career in the education of medical students.

ABOVE: Firefighters from Kilbarrack extinguish a van alight beside a house in April.

RIGHT: Phibsboro B Watch training on some new equipment at Cross Guns Bridge in late May when the water was still deceptively cold.

ABOVE: Saying farewell to FF/P Joe Timmons after 33 years of service, having joined A Watch in 1990 and serving at Tallaght and Dun Laoghaire stations. Thanks for all the memories Joe! RIGHT: Photographer Damien Storan captures D/O Peter Navan commanding a scene during his last month of service before retirement.

BELOW: In early May, Cormac, Amy and Cian challenged the pupils at Rathgar National School to see how many star jumps they could do in 60 seconds as part of Active School Week.

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FIRECALL SUMMER

DFB IN BRIEF

LEFT: Saying farewell to Assistant Brigade Training Officer D\O Frank Kiernan following 36 years of service in June.

BELOW: The Phibsborobased high line team at a technical rescue in June.

ABOVE: Working through the night on a wildfire on Howth Head in June, with four pumps and a water tanker on scene.

BELOW: Saying farewell to our most senior District Officer Tom Daly after 36 years of service.

LEFT: Around 30 firefighters attended a huge fire at the community centre on Donore Avenue in June, with 4 pumps and a turntable ladder on scene.

RIGHT: In May, FF/P Ben Kelly, who retired after 32 years of service, attended his last parade with his family at North Strand.

LEFT: We said farewell and best wishes to S/O John Daly, a stalwart of the Pipe Bad, in June after 34 years of service.

RIGHT: Rescuing ‘Steven Seagull’ after he got trapped on top of a lamp post in West Dublin in July before handing him over to the DSPCA. LEFT: Two firefighters taking part in a multiagency exercise at an oil storage facility in Dublin port in June rescue a ‘worker’.

RIGHT: The ten new District Officers upon completion of the D/O Development Course in April.

Congratulations to them all.

FIRECALL SUMMER

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DFB IN BRIEF Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .eps

Facebook “f ” Logo

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@DubFireBrigade

ABOVE: In June we marked the retirement of Station Officer John Berrigan after 34 years of service.

LEFT: At the start of May, firefighters from Dolphins Barn fought a fire in a derelict warehouse on Chapelizod Hill that had been previously damaged by fire.

RIGHT: Taking up the offer of nearby transport to rush at a speed of up to 8kmh to a small fire nearby at a golf club in Howth in May.

ABOVE: In April we said goodbye to FF/AP and senior EMS instructor Ray Carney as he retired from DFB to take up a role in a national regulatory body.

Best of luck in the new role!

LEFT: Best wishes to Dublin’s new Lord Mayor Alison Gilliland on her election to the post. We look forward to working with you!

LEFT: It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of retired Firefighter Noel Kavanagh in April.

RIGHT: Saying farewell to S/O Colm Murphy at Phibsboro fire station in July.

LEFT: Firefighters from Rathfarnham attend a wildfire at Ticknock in April.

RIGHT: A joint confined space rescue exercise in Ringsend with Dublin Bay Power took place in May.

RIGHT: SRT students training in the Liffey at the 3Arena in July.

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FIRECALL SUMMER

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19/08/2021 29/04/2021 14:12 16:18

CISM COIN

A GOOD CAUSE A specially commissioned coin remembering Adrian O’Grady has raised valuable funds for a charity that meant a lot to his family.

A

challenge coin dedicated to the memory of the much-missed Adrian “Aido” O’Grady and honouring the work of the DFB Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team was created in spring to raise funds for Down Syndrome Carlow, a charity that meant a lot to the Tallaght-based S/O. Adrian, the coordinator of the Critical Incident Stress Management team that provided crisis intervention and counselling services to colleagues, will be sadly missed after his sudden passing in 2018, but his colleagues commissioned the coin to honour his memory and raise funds for the charity.

“The challenge coin is dedicated to Adrian O’Grady, who was a great friend and colleague,” Tallaght FF/P Derek Riordan, who coordinated the fundraiser alongside Darren Donavon, Podge Thompson and Brian Doyle, said. “It’s a tribute to CISM and the team there because they go above and beyond to promote the mental health and wellbeing of all our colleagues.

And the money raised will go to a place that would have been very close to Aido’s heart.”

Adrian had a very close affinity with his nephew Daniel, who was born with Down Syndrome, and the charity has helped Daniel’s parents receive the support they need.

FF/AP Riordan spoke to Aido’s wife Helen to discuss a charity of choice to donate the proceeds of the coin sales, and her immediate response was Down Syndrome Carlow.

Helen O’Grady and A/C/F/O Greg O’Dwyer with the cheque for Down Syndrome Carlow.

Speaking to a local newspaper, Helen said: “Adrian was a big, big man and Daniel was so small before Adrian died, but he’d walk in and throw Daniel up into his arms. It’s so unfortunate that Adrian died when he did because he never got to fulfil all the plans he had to help Daniel in his later life.

“When the lads in Dublin Fire Brigade said the money was going to go to Down Syndrome Carlow, it was fantastic. That’s Adrian doing something for Daniel now.”

The coins went on sale for 10 each, with all proceeds going directly to the charity, and in April, Helen O’Grady collected the cheque for 4,840 to give to them.

SU M M ER 16 FIRECALL

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19/08/2021 14:41

DFB PIPE BAND

John Daly leads the drum corps.

From within

THE CIRCLE The Pipe Band says farewell to a stalwart and welcomes new members, writes Secretary John McNally.

SUMMER 18 FIRECALL

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s noted in previous articles from the band, we are still in a very quiet period due to the ongoing pandemic. The good news, however, is that the band have been back at regular practice since the start of June. The lifting of restrictions, good weather and long evenings have allowed us to meet and practice once again outdoors.

We hope to continue with practice throughout the summer period and hope to get back indoors when the lifting of restrictions allows.

A FAREWELL Sunday, 6 June saw the retirement of Station Officer and DFB Pipe Band drummer John Daly from the Dublin Fire Brigade after a long and distinguished career. John is a stalwart of the band and has assumed the role of Chairman, Secretary and Drum Sergeant over his many years.

John was piped onto his last parade by DPB Pipe Band solo piper Mark Toner. This was followed by a ‘Flashmob’ style appearance from the band. John was genuinely surprised, and it almost brought a tear to his eye!

DFB PIPE BAND

The band played a number of sets and then the Drum Corps played a drum salute for John called “Salute to Bronco”. This is a drum salute written in memory of Durrell ‘Bronco’ Pearsall, who died at the World Trade Centre on 9/11 - Bronco was a drummer in the FDNY’s Emerald Society Pipe and Drum Band, and a friend of the DFB Pipe Band and John Daly. Finally, the band played one more set with John leading the drummers on his side drum. The band would like to wish John, Ann and family the very best with a long, happy and healthy retirement.

John with his snare drum.

ACTIVITIES Solo pipers have been busy over the past few months with engagements such as the State Commemoration ceremony for the 100th anniversary of the burning of the Custom House, funerals of retired members and retirement parades.

We recently visited recruit class 1/2021 in order to tell them about the band and what we do. As always, we encourage new members to join the band and hopefully some of the newest members of the DFB will sign up soon.

NEW MEMBERS As has been said many times in past articles, we are always here to welcome new members to the band.

New blood is vital to ensure that the band survives into the future.

The band playing at John Daly’s retirement last parade .

Whether its piping or drumming you may be interested in (maybe you would like to try both) the door is always open to new members. So, if you think you have what it takes or would like to give it a try, why not come along to the Training Centre any

Monday night from 8pm and learn a new instrument? Beginners are very welcome and musical ability is not necessary.

We would also like to welcome previous members back as well as people who may already have piping or drumming experience. You will be given top class instruction by our two world class instructors Dave Rickard (Bagpipes) and Ciaran Mordaunt (Drums). (We would also like to wish Ciaran well after a recent illness, get well soon Ciaran.)

The band are forever grateful for the support of associate members, DFB management and DCC. Without that continued support the band could not exist.

The band can be reached at any time through any band member, social media or by emailing: dfbpbsec@gmail.com

FIRECALL SUMMER

19

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19/08/2021 12/05/2021 14:13 11:20

GOLF

MARKING

5 Dave Kavanagh and Siobhan Talbot outline the 50-year-old golf society’s plans to Adam Hyland.

YEARS FIRECALL SU M M ER

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GOLF

T

his year we mark the 50th anniversary of Dublin Fire Brigade’s Golf Society, and plans are in place to mark the achievement when we emerge from the restrictions brought about by the pandemic.

“Being 50 years old this year is a huge achievement,” David says as he tells me about the origins of the society. “We tried to do a little investigating to see when exactly the society was established, but it has proven quite hard to trace back and find those involved, because we are going back a long time.

“From what we can gather, there were two groups playing golf around 1969. Southside were Jim Kavanagh, Michael Carey, Jim Clerey, Tom McCabe and Tom Quirke. On the Northside you had John McEvoy, Gus Fitzpatrick, Paddy Rogers, Mick Dineen, Joe Brady, Eamonn Purcell, and the Doyle brothers. A committee was formed in 1971, and they were all involved and would have been some of the founders, but it’s hard to put the finger on exactly how it all came together.”

The first game took place on 17 August 1971 with a match against the Gardaí at Milltown, sponsored by B&I. Former FF/P Michael Keane says FF/P John Whelan had brought his baby son to watch, and that he’s 50 now.

He tells me: “There were always golfers in Dublin Fire Brigade, and there was always a sort of north/south divide based on where people were

stationed, but that match was the first time members from both the northside and southside came together to represent DFB as a golf team, and the golf society came about as a result of that. I can only imagine that maybe after the golf society got together there was a realisation that there should be a social club, so maybe the Sports and Social Club came out of that first joint golf game? They showed it could be done.”

ANNIVERSARY The anniversary was marked on 17 August at Beech Park Golf Club in Rathcoole with 90 members attending. Society Treasurer Siobhan Talbot also tells me about other plans to mark the anniversary.

“We designed and commissioned a challenge coin for the 50th anniversary, which every member will receive, and have also commissioned a new Golf Society logo, and we will issue every member with a shirt featuring this logo,” she says.

“The level of interest and eagerness to get out and play is not surprising, given that most of the year’s outings had to be understandably cancelled or postponed. We usually kick off the season in March, but because of the lockdown that was put on hold.”

David says the society is quietly optimistic for the year ahead,

“That match against the Gardaí in 1971 was the first time members from both the northside and southside came together to represent DFB as a golf team” SU M M ER 22 FIRECALL

The new DFB Golf Society logo and 50th anniversary challenge coin.

however. “50 years is a huge achievement and the society is going from strength to strength,” he tells me. “We have a big and enthusiastic membership, possibly the biggest in the country, and many thanks must go to the members of the committee for their hard work.

MAJORS Siobhan points out that last year’s Captain’s Day did at least manage to go ahead at St Margaret’s in August.

“Restrictions meant we were only allowed 50 people in total for the reception,” she tells me, “so we had to replace the big sit-down meal with people coming in and eating after they finished playing, and for the presentation we had around 20 people who were left at the end of the day – mostly the prizewinners. It was

GOLF

THE COMMITTEE Secretary: David Kavanagh Handicaps: John Phelan Time Sheet: Noel Jackson Treasurer: Siobhan Talbot

Club President Martin Gallagher.

Club Captain Karl Byrne.

other, when they see the banter, they become relaxed. There is no rank on the golf course. They certainly don’t let you win!”

NEXT YEAR

Vice-Captain Lar Sweetman.

different, but at least we were able to find a way to make it work.

“We are hoping that by August restrictions will have eased and we can fully enjoy our outings. Captain’s Day will take place in Arklow on 1 September, home turf of Captain Karl Byrne, with Martin Gallagher’s President’s Day following on 28 September at Laytown.

“Those are the two Majors,” Siobhan tells me. “As with any golf club, in order to qualify for prizes you have to have been a member for a couple of years and have the prerequisite number of cards played and handed in, just to maintain the integrity of membership.”

OUTINGS David tells me that in total there are seven outings planned for the year, with the first held on 11 June at Slade Valley Golf Club. An outing at Royal Dublin was on 29 July, with others at Laytown, Bettystown and Seapoint.

The final outing of the season will be held on 19 October at Seapoint GC, where the postponed Draeger Cup

match against NIFR will be held.

“Interest is huge,” David adds. “We have around 140 members, with some of the younger DFB members coming on board recently,” and this new blood adds more competition across the age spectrum.”

“The breakdown is about 70% operational and 30% retirees, although a lot of the retirees are not old people – we can retire at 55,” Siobhan says. “It also doesn’t matter what age you are, you can keep playing golf until you are nearly in the brown box.

“There is a great age profile in the golf society and one great thing about golf is that it breaks down the age barrier. If you have somebody that’s my age, and then you have someone who is 22, you are asking yourself, what do I have in common with this person? But you go out and play a round and it really does break down those barriers. Also, there is no rank in the society, or in sport in general, so you are going out with a recruit or a D/O, and it’s like two mates playing. It brings back a really nice atmosphere into the stations, which is something that is badly needed.

“New members, especially new recruits, do sometimes feel a bit nervous about coming up against a D/O or a more senior member at first,” she says, “but as soon as they see how we interact with each

Another exciting event on the horizon is the World Police and Fire Games, which were due to take place this year but will now be held in Rotterdam in 2022, and Siobhan says this could be a great way for members of the society to get involved and compete on an international level.

“We hope the world opens up again and we get a good crowd from here to go and represent DFB at it, to compete on behalf of DFB,” she tells me. “I played at the event in Belfast a few years ago and I have to say it is very well organised. You get really good courses so it’s almost like being on tour. You play as singles but you represent your organisation.

We are talking about it but nothing is cemented yet because we are waiting to see what happens and when the world opens up again, to see what is possible, but if we could get a gang to go it would be great.”

David also adds that the society is open to new members at any time.

“All you have to do is contact any member of the committee. It’s very easy to join. The majority of people do it through DUBCO, and it’s only a couple of Euro a week, so get in touch and make sure you are added to the society’s WhatsApp group!”

Despite restrictions, the DFB Golf Society is back in the swing, so the best of luck to all members at this year’s competitions.

FIRECALL SU M M ER

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FLEET

ADDITIONS TO THE FLEET The DFB Service Support Unit has done excellent work to oversee the seamless integration of seven new ambulances into the fleet.

SUMMER 24 FIRECALL

D

ublin Fire Brigade took delivery of seven new Mercedes Benz Sprinter ambulances this year as part of its Fleet Replacement Programme, significantly reducing the average age of its 14 frontline ambulances. Each new vehicle has already been designated to stations across the city and county, and is the result of months of planning, preparation and production by the Service Support Centre in Stanley Street, otherwise known as Logistics.

The Department headed by A/C/O Richard Hedderman with Third Officer John Guilfoyle, and D/O Martin Cooke overseeing day to day management, plays an essential 24/7 role in keeping a full complement of frontline vehicles on the road at all times, and the introduction of several new vehicles and subsequent cascading of older vehicles to other areas has required an enormous amount of work.

“With 14 EMS vehicles on the frontline, it would be very unusual to be able to get seven new ones in

a particular year, so this has been a big event for us,” T/O Guilfoyle tells me. “There is a huge amount of work involved in procuring these new vehicles, from working with the National Ambulance Service to try to secure funding and allocation, to strategic planning with management, before we can even go and order them.

“Every year myself and A/C/O Hedderman sit down and have an annual review of the fleet,” he tells me. “We see what our allocation is, we begin the planning, some of which is around the build and schedule, making sure each vehicle arrives the way we ordered it so it is specific to our emergency service requirements.

BESPOKE “Every vehicle has to be bespoke, and needs to be planned in great detail.

We don’t have off the shelf vehicles, so before they arrive with us, we have project build meetings with the coach builder. There is a six-month process with a detailed specification that could include up to 600 features

FLEET

LEFT: The new ambulances have been allocated to seven stations across the city.

that have to be agreed, before going into production. All of this happens throughout that six-month process, until we reach the final production of the vehicle bespoke to our particular needs.

“This goes right down to the shade of red paint used, the reflective markings that have to reach standards, the lettering - everything. You have to make sure that absolutely every single spec is right, starting from the very obvious one – that it has to be righthand drive. That’s all the background work that nobody sees. It starts off on a desk and there is an enormous amount of planning involved, but it is great when the ambulances do arrive, are made ready, and then head out to the stations.”

That process of preparing the vehicles to join the fleet in the workshop is also a detailed endeavour, as D/O Martin Cooke explains.

“We liaise with Wilker, the builders of the vehicle body, and with Mercedes as manufacturer, and work in tandem with them so when they are putting the body onto the back of the chassis, they have to make sure it is seamless, to make sure the new technology goes into the vehicle.”

The stations who were allocated the new vehicles were Swords, Finglas, Tallaght, Donnybrook, Rathfarnham, Kilbarrack and Blanchardstown.

“We generally decide based on mileage where each new vehicle is going to go,” D/O Cooke says, “but we still have a lot of work to do with them after that, and look at where other equipment is going, as well as the vehicles that are being replaced with the new ones, so there is a natural cascading of vehicles and equipment.”

FEATURES T/O Guilfoyle adds: “There is always some tweaking that needs to be done.

Defibrillator brackets have to be fitted, vehicle recording and tracking systems, and finally the digital radio system. So, there is quite a bit of work, and then they have to be badged up with the relevant call signs, depending on where they are going into service.”

The new vehicles are state-of-the-art.

“Every vehicle has to be bespoke, and needs to be planned in great detail.

We don’t have off the shelf vehicles” D/O Cooke says: “Yes, we have seven 2021s, but we also got in three of the new ambulances last year, so we now have ten of the new Mercedes ambulances with the latest technology, and then four others make up the frontline fleet, with more in reserve.”

T/O Guilfoyle also adds: “They all have a lot of other important features too. If you take environmental factors in, they are all Euro 6 standard for emissions, which is a big plus we want to promote, so they meet all stringent regulations for emissions.

We want to have the lowest possible

environmental impact, and that is always in mind when we bring in new vehicles.

“Also, we have the latest communications features to be added, which is another story entirely (and is covered elsewhere in this issue) – digital radio systems, webbased camera recording systems in the saloon for security reasons, mobile communications between crews, defibs, live patient data being sent to STEMI labs and emergency depts. The ambulances are essentially a central communications hub with live information. They are just some of the advancements we have now, as well as vehicle stability systems, driver aids, automatic braking, speed detection, all the best technology and specs.”

D/O Cooke adds: “There are also other features that improve the health and safety of our paramedics as well as patients. For example, there can be a lot of strain in lifting a stretcher on to the vehicle, but now we have a tail lift that makes it much easier and smoother. A lot of research has been done into ambulance ergonomics and there are many improvements such as having a clinical waste area, and air-con in the cab for crew comfort. The Mercedes vehicles give us very little trouble.

They are lovely to drive, I can say from experience.”

FIRECALL SUMMER

25

FLEET

“We want our people to be happy in these vehicles because they are a place of work for our personnel”

D/O Cooke with S/O Richard McDonnell .

ADVANCEMENTS This makes for a much more comfortable vehicle that meets the needs of a modern emergency service, and A/C/O Hedderman points out just how far DFB ambulances have advanced over the years.

“When I first joined in 1982, all you had was a normal vehicle with a box on the back of it, and all you had was triangle bandages, presses and wooden splints,” he says. “We have moved from that now – the defibrillator is probably one of the biggest advancements we have had, but there is a whole range of equipment on board now – cannulas, intubation, and the training for our personnel has also really advanced over the years. Probably the biggest development we have seen recently is in the use of STEMI labs. Our guys go out and get defibs on to the patient and get cardiac readings on the cardiograph and communicate this information directly to the Hospital.

“There is a place for everything on the ambulance now, from the clinical waste to the lockers to PPE for dealing with the likes of COVID-19.

There have been huge changes to the role of the paramedic, and with that there have been many changes to the ambulances they work in. With that comes an improved service to the public, but it also means that the average age of our ambulances is now three years.”

SUMMER 26 FIRECALL

D/O Martin Cooke, A/C/O Richard Hedderman and T/O John Guilfoyle oversee fleet maintenance and replacement as part of the Services Support Centre’s multi-functional role.

FLEET MANAGEMENT That’s where the Fleet Replacement Programme comes in. The 14 vehicles cover around 90,000 call outs annually, covering a million kilometres, so when they come out of frontline service, they will have had a short but busy life.

However, their service doesn’t end there, with the cascade plan forming an important part of the programme.

“When we start looking at our cascade plan, we can see decide that some units may move from a lessbusy station or one that covers less mileage, and we allocate a new vehicle to those that cover a lot of ground,” T/O Guilfoyle says. “For example, one went out to Swords recently and in three weeks had already covered 8,000km. That’s due its first inspection from Mercedes already, whereas on a normal vehicle it wouldn’t be due for

six months, and this is all monitored as part of our fleet planning and maintenance systems.

“Any maintenance or inspection due is flagged on the system, but sometimes we try to precede the manufacturer’s servicing notice because it is an emergency vehicle with an arduous work schedule.”

FURTHER ADDITIONS DFB has also procured other new vehicles to add to the fleet, with a 42-metre turn-table ladder due to be introduced later this year. “That is ten metres higher than our current highest ladder, in order to enhance our high-rise response,” T/O Guilfoyle tell me. “We have also been allocated four Class B Fire Tenders, we have an electric van on order, a new rescue boat due in October, and interestingly,

FLEET

An ambulance is readied to be taken out of frontline service as part of the Fleet Replacement Programme.

two electric bikes on trial that will be used to make journeys across the city to DCC buildings.

“The turn-table ladder is scheduled for late December. DFB procured this vehicle via a public tender process and when the contract was awarded, myself and Martin started liaising with the supplier on project plans because you can’t just walk into the showroom and order this type of vehicle off the shelf.”

Of course, the fleet replacement programme must tie in with the training plan as part of strategic management. “It is important that our training centre know these vehicles are coming into service, because it has to marry up with the Brigade’s Training Plan,” T/O Guilfoyle explains. “The last thing we want is for a vehicle or piece of equipment to be delayed entering into service because the specialist training hasn’t been scheduled.”

With the new ambulances already on the road, feedback has been positive.

A/C/O Hedderman says: “The thing about feedback is that if you hear nothing, everything is good. If there is anything wrong with the vehicles, or anything they are not happy with, our personnel are very quickly on to you about it. We are very happy that our staff regularly engage and are willing to provide feedback. It is a continuous loop of improvement.”

“Manufacturers have told us that they know we test everything to the maximum,” D/O Cooke tells me. “If they put something into Dublin Fire Brigade first, they know it will get a punishing time, and the product must be good.

They have said that if we have a problem after the first year, they tend to see it in other areas of the country later.”

T/O Guilfoyle agrees. “You will definitely see any issues surfacing a year in advance of seeing them in other services using the same product because our requirement is so intensive. You have a year’s testing done within a couple of months.

“The feedback we do get always feeds into our next set of specifications.

Each time we are allocated vehicles

they vary slightly, and that is because of advancements in technology or crew input, but mostly both, and how we want to use the vehicle more practically.

“There are examples of that in the vehicles coming in. We have recommendations that will be incorporated into the specs, such as with helmet storage, shelving, air conditioning – we listen and take ideas and suggestions on board, and where we can accommodate them, we do. We want our people to be happy in these vehicles because they are a place of work for our personnel.”

The vehicles being replaced on the frontline will still be of use, of course.

“Some will be cascaded into our reserve fleet, and some of the reserve fleet will be dismantled for parts here,” T/O Guilfoyle tells me. “We can take parts of the vehicle, such as the patient compartment of the ambulance, which can be used for simulated live training. They still have a role to play.

They are well finished by the time we dispose of them!”

As for the new vehicles, T/O Guilfoyle says they will have a huge impact. “They will bring about a reduction in fleet maintenance costs, reducing downtime,” he says. “When you put new vehicles into operation, and in this instance seven new vehicles, the maintenance and purchase of parts will all change because of this major investment. We really hope our crews are happy with these vehicles and all the journeys they take in them will be safe ones.”

D/O Martin Cooke and Garage Foreman Fran Lynam with an ambulance being readied to be taken out of frontline service.

FIRECALL SUMMER

27

GOING DIGITAL

THE GREAT MIGRATION

S/O Martin Waters, A/C/F/O John Moody and Third Officer John Guilfoyle.

Moving to the new digital system has meant a huge amount of work across many departments, Assistant Chief Fire Officer John Moody tells Adam Hyland.

SUMMER 28 FIRECALL

O

n a visit to the Service Support Centre at the end of May to talk about the additions to the ambulance fleet, Third Officer John Guilfoyle was keen to highlight that the fleet replacement programme was being carried out in tandem with the migration of all vehicles from the analogue VHS radio system to a digital system supplied by TETRA Ireland in order to facilitate integration with the national CAD system. It was a happy coincidence that I happened to be there on the day the last ambulance was migrated, and standing beside that ambulance when the last call on the old system came in.

D/O Martin Cooke, who received the call, described it as “quite a historic moment” while T/O Guilfoyle suggested I talk to Assistant Chief Fire Officer (A/C/F/O) John Moody, who oversaw this landmark project, to hear about the full scale of the plan.

A few days later, I sat down with A/C/F/O Moody via Zoom to hear just what was involved in what he describes as “a very significant day for Dublin Fire Brigade”.

“This is probably the biggest technical development in

GOING DIGITAL

LEFT: D/O Martin Cooke communicates the final message on the VHF Radio System to ERCC on 28 May. BELOW: The last VHF message received in DFB control room, from DN21D2 at 15.44.14 Hrs on Friday, 28 May 2021.

many, many years,” he tells me. “It has been a very complex process that began in 2019, and has seen a huge amount of work in planning and physical transition from the Logistics department as well as incredible work from the training team.”

MIGRATION As part of the Ctri project managed by the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFRM), full national integration consists of the procurement of the CAD system, updating station communications infrastructure, migration to the TETRA network and the launch of the CAD system, and while COVID-19 has slightly delayed the last of these, the first three have now been completed.

“The national project is to introduce the new CAD system to all three call centres in Ireland,” A/C/F/O Moody tells me. “The majority of the fire service in Ireland moved across to TETRA in 2018, and while our Control Centre has been trained in it since then because we oversee all of Leinster, and Cavan and Monaghan, we had to form a plan for all operational personnel.

“The basic necessity came from the fact that we were using ageing technology, the same VHF system we used since its origin that is almost defunct at this stage. VHF has served us very well, but it was becoming increasingly difficult and costly to maintain. Also, in order to facilitate

“This is probably the biggest technical development in many, many years” the national CAD system, we needed to overhaul our appliances on a network capable of communicating with more modern integrated CAD systems.”

As with the fleet replacement programme, the TETRA and CAD integration has involved a huge amount of planning and management.

“It is a major project that has involved myself as Project Manager and liaison for Dublin Fire Brigade with TETRA Ireland, and with the relevant management, training team led by S/O Martin Waters, and Control Centre personnel led by ERCC IT Manager and Senior Executive Communications Officer Richard Sheehan, putting together a fleet map, looking at future requirements and specs for each vehicle type, carrying out training and realising the physical migration as overseen by A/C/F/O Richard Hedderman, T/O Guilfoyle and D/O Cooke.

FIRECALL SUMMER

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GOING DIGITAL

“That physical migration meant that every resource we have had to be taken out of service, the VHF system had to be stripped out, the TETRA system has to be fitted, with new radios, button boxes, various other equipment and technology – all had to be swapped out. We got all of our resources and necessary equipment together so that we could start the migration, and TETRA provided a fitter, with all of the work done under our supervision in our workshop.

“It was a very big undertaking, and that’s where Logistics really came to the fore. You can imagine the maintenance requirements involved in swapping all of these vehicles over, having them ready for frontline duty.

“On new vehicles, we were able to get the necessary specs included from the start of the build process, and as soon as they came in, they were ready to be fitted.

Going forward, all new vehicles will be fitted with TETRA wiring as standard, so we won’t have to go through the same process again. We were able to put them out on the road with the new TETRA system on board within a couple of days.”

TRANSITION & TRAINING All fire resources began transition in November 2020, and had been fitted on schedule by the end of 2020, with the training phase also incorporated. “This training phase involved designing a training programme and package, with three hours of on-station training to be delivered to more than 900 personnel. It was launched in July 2020 against the backdrop of COVID-19 restrictions and was delivered on schedule by mid-December of 2020, which A/C/F/O Moody says was “a remarkable achievement”. He wishes to give a particular mention not only to S/O Waters, but to S/O Donal Hand, and FF/Ps Ciaran Wilson, Gary Williams, Stephen Cleary and Greg Dunne for their excellent work.

This was followed by ambulance migration, and though they required further work to facilitate technology such as a button box to update status, and handsets that can communicate with the Control Centre and each other away from the vehicle, the changeover was completed within three weeks in May of this year.

However, the CAD integration process is ongoing and will

see major technological and operational advancements for all DFB vehicles.

CAPABILITIES “We are still in the process,” A/C/F/O Moody tells me.

“TETRA at the moment is a modern, standalone, very reliable radio system but integration with CAD will open a whole new world of capabilities, both for our Control Centre and for our operational personnel. At that stage, we will see the full benefits, allowing for dynamic attendances with the system knowing which resource is nearest to an incident. We will also be able to send and receive information directly to and from the CAD. “We have navigation systems in the vehicles now but they are standalone, and the next generation update will be fully integrated so an ambulance can get a request to attend an incident, with details on the screen in front of them that will navigate then to where they need to go, send and receive data, look at information regarding surrounding infrastructure.”

This full integration, following its introduction in Limerick in August, is followed by Castlebar and finally the East Region.

“If it wasn’t for COVID-19, we would probably be on the system already,” A/C/F/O Moody says, “but we hope to be able to turn the system live by Quarter 1 of 2022.”

BENEFITS The benefits to the Control Centre, he says, will be instantaneous. “At the moment we have a system that works very well, but it is old tech, and the next generation will see that for example, when an operator answers a call, they can get a precise location within ten seconds. That’s a huge benefit to call takers. Our address and postcode system is seen internationally as one of the most difficult to navigate, and we do sometimes have problems getting exact addresses, but the new system is designed to take accurate info from the calling phone and put it up on the screen for us.

“One error in an Eircode can give you a completely different address, it bears no relation to the actual address.

We do have systems that can identify location based on the

“I have to say it is one of the hardest things I have had to do. But from the moment we did introduce the new call signs, we have had tremendous support at all levels from all stations” SUMMER 30 FIRECALL

GOING DIGITAL

phone, but they are not integrated.

The new system will put it all together in one system so you can get all the information you need in one place.

That will be extremely useful.

“We have wide area communications that are managed by the Control Centre, and then we have fireground communications that goes on between crews at an incident.

While they are both standalone, we are partaking in a programme that is looking at introducing digital UHF, moving all our radio traffic on to digital platforms.”

The Training Team, Left to Right, Stephen The importance and benefits Cleary, Gary Williams, Ciaran Wilson. come on many different levels but resilience and integration are the key components, A/C/F/O Moody tells me. “It is a very resilient that was me. I have to say it is one of the hardest things network. It is proven. Aging tech can lead to data loss but I have had to do. But from the moment we introduced the digital system is very robust. Its ability to integrate the new call signs, we have had tremendous support at with other systems is very important to us too. Also, there all levels from all stations, and this helped us successfully is the ability to have appliances from all over the country introduce these new call signs in tandem with the new communicating with each other, as well as the ability to TETRA technology, two major changes rolled into one.” communicate with other emergency services such as gardai, This double change has been of huge importance.

HSE and coast guard, who are all on TETRA, in the case “We now have the call signs aligned with the national of a major emergency.” model so when we move on to the new TETRA-supported The feedback has been very positive on all fronts, CAD system, our call signs will be the same format as all A/C/F/O Moody tells me, saying staff have welcomed the others on a national level, which is a very important step. transition to a more resilient platform, but what was a The national call signs have been in operation for many more difficult sell was the decision to undertake a Call Sign years but for some reason weren’t taken on by DFB, and transition, which meant moving from traditional stationso what you end up with is a CAD system that is a single and vehicle-based call signs to a national model. system operating across three centres, but the call takers in two of those centres would have no familiarisation with the CALL SIGNS DFB call signs.

“While the migration is probably the biggest technical “Those call signs tell you everything you need to know development in years, changing call signs is actually much about the vehicle – what station, what county, what type of bigger than that,” A/C/F/O Moody explains. “This was a vehicle. But with different call signs people would have no very emotive issue. Moving to the national call sign model idea of those details, so there would be an anomaly there in tandem with the transition to TETRA, as a combination, that is now gone. was the biggest change initiative we have seen in years. For “Considering the size and scope of the project, our personnel, there were fears of a loss of identity, and everything has been very efficient. It has all been very being consumed by a national model. Every fire station has positively taken on board. Every single element has been a name and number, and every vehicle has its own very successful – planning, training, migration, new call call sign, and our firefighters have felt very connected to signs - it was a monumental achievement to get all of this these identifiers. Our personnel associate themselves with in place, and it is important to acknowledge the work of all these call signs, and it is embedded in them from their the people who helped to make it happen, and the efforts recruit days… of all staff in adopting new technology and call signs. “… So we decided to change all of that, and that was “From my point of view, ever since we started this probably one of the biggest organisational challenges project, the level of support has been incredible, from my we have undertaken in many years. Some people were own team, from logistics, from TETRA. However, the unhappy about it, understandably.” migration to TETRA so far is just one part, and next year When I mention that I wouldn’t want to be the person we will really get to see the full range of capabilities on the who had to break the news, A/C/F/O Moody tells me: “Yes, new system, so it is looking good for the future.”

FIRECALL SUMMER

31

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19/08/2021 14:15

STATION PROFILE

STATION PROFILE D WATCH KILBARRACK

D Watch Kilbarrack Station Officer Dave Connolly.

L-R Mark Shaw, Glen Ellis, Darren Burns, Chris Parkes and Ashleigh Dillon in the muster area.

S/O DAVE CONNOLLY TALKS ABOUT LIFE ON D WATCH AS HE SHOWS ADAM HYLAND AROUND KILBARRACK’S REFURBISHED FIRE STATION.

“

I

f you’re looking for unique aspects to this station, we have those in spades,” S/O Dave Connolly of D Watch Kilbarrack tells me as he shows me around the grounds of the station, starting off at the imposing games court and the herb garden.

As we walk to the recently refurbished buildings, he tells me that “everything is part of the pilot Green Plan project undertaken a few years ago here that emphasises being carbon neutral and having biodiversity”.

“We are in a transition period as the station undergoes refurbishment,” he says, “with phases 1 and 2 taking care

of the operational areas, and phase 3 starting soon upstairs, where we have the old offices and rec room.

“Next year we celebrate the station’s 50th anniversary, so we needed new facilities, and it’s all about having a clean site and a dirty site, which I think is a very good model that will probably be rolled out across DFB. The whole idea is that beyond the double doors, everything is clean, and there is no contamination going into the station,” he tells me.

As we walk through those double doors, he points to the eye-catching DFB logo on the floor. “It’s all about branding these days,” he smiles, “but this is a well-thought-out model, and a

FIRECALL SU M M ER

33

STATION PROFILE A happy bunch after the post-Christmas night sea swim, with some Finglas FF/Ps roped into.

“I’d be keeping an eye on this crew because good things happen when they are around” A bat habitat above the water pumping unit.

lot of it has come out of the pandemic where everything is about infection control.”

It’s beyond these doors that the unique nature of Kilbarrack station is most evident. Instead of dorms, there are individual pods or rooms for crew members, with five for those on the station’s one water tender and two for ambulance crews. “This is the only station that has this,” he tells me. “The rooms are done to a very high standard and it is a great model to aspire to for other stations.”

“These are meeting a huge amount of needs,” S/O Connolly says. “Firstly, they eliminate the risk of crosscontamination, and they are also very comfortable as individual bedrooms if crew members are able to catch a couple of hours of sleep on night shifts, but they are also excellent study pods. It’s a very nice way to allow us to meet our training needs, while also providing the opportunity to not have to be together in one room all the time. There is a room available for every member of the Watch.

SU M M ER 34 FIRECALL

One for everybody in the audience.”

The chance to pursue learning on-site is a fantastic feature, and one which S/O Connolly says is perfectly suited to D Watch, which has many FF/Ps currently studying for qualifications.

“DFB is very progressive in personal development,” S/O Connolly says, “and in my Watch alone we have people studying for a Masters in Major Emergency Management, the Advanced Paramedic course, a case study for the Paramedic course, and a Fire Safety Science Masters, so it allows people to come and develop themselves here with a bit of peace and quiet, in between turnouts.

“We have a lot to bring to the table in terms of our operational experience, but also through academic achievement, and this place is riddled with good people seeking to better themselves.”

S/O Connolly has been with D Watch at the station “for five or six years – long enough not to remember when I started” he tells me, following ten years in Finglas as a FF/P, then S/O roles in North Strand, Finglas and Tara Street. He now works “four minutes away in rush hour traffic” from his house, which is 300 metres from where he grew up, so he feels at home here and was kind enough

to come and meet me hours before his shift started.

He is full of praise for the crew he now works with. “The atmosphere is great,” he says. “We have a very young crew and this is a very busy station, so the energy levels are high. It’s a young person’s station, and I almost skip into work every day. And I know my colleagues feel the same.

“Actually, we are way beyond being colleagues, by the sheer amount of time we spend together. You inherently become a family, and it might sound like a cliché but I spend as much time among this Watch as I do with my own family, and you generate bonds. It has been a challenge with COVID-19 because it affects our normal way of going about things, sitting around the breakfast table, for example, which is a really good way of passing on knowledge to the younger members. But when we are in the fire truck, it’s masks on and windows open, so, we are still getting the opportunity to talk and bond.”

I ask how this togetherness is impacted by having individual sleep and study pods for crew members, and the risk that somebody might retreat into their room too often, but S/O Connolly says this hasn’t been a problem.

STATION PROFILE

“That is something the officers have to look out for,” he says, “but it’s no different from looking out for the crew and noticing that somebody’s head is down after a challenging incident.

The same thing applies if somebody is starting to retreat into their pod. It’s part of managing the crew as an officer.”

When it comes to the skillsets of the crew, S/O Connolly outlines how much of a good mix is present in D Watch.

“I have three Advanced Paramedics on the Watch with another one in training, three Swift Water Rescue technicians – although we aren’t a designated SRT station, with Howth there, having those skills is important – we have me on high line and Marine Emergency Response, and then we have a couple of tunnel firefighter specialists as well. It meets the risks we have at this station.

“I’m the senior man with 24 years of experience, and the crew ranges from the mid-20s up to the 40s – just on the right side of their mid-40s!”

S/O Connolly details the members of the crew.

Glen Ellis, he tells me, is the other senior man and “a great mentor to the younger firefighters”. He is an Advanced Paramedic, trained in SRT and is a coxswain, and reportedly also cooks up a mean fry.

Colin McGovern, the Lead Worker representative and tunnel-trained firefighter “sees the gaps and fills them, taking on the jobs others might shy away from”, and is front and centre in helping fight COVID-19 and getting involved n the Equality and Diversity Committee.

Darren Burns is An Advanced Paramedic and tunnel-trained firefighter, and S/O Connolly says his experience working on fishing vessels is well placed with Howth in the area covered, describing him as “a safe harbour in a storm”.

David Smeaton is an Advanced Paramedic in training and SRT-trained firefighter, chief social night organiser and mess man, while Mark Shaw is also an Advanced Paramedic and SRTtrained firefighter. “If I could bottle Mark’s enthusiasm and replicate it, I’d be a millionaire,” S/O Connolly says.

Portable pump drill in Howth Harbour.

Karl Stewart, an SRT specialist is from the Stewart DFB dynasty, with his father a retired D/O and his brother in the ERCC, while Dave O’Brien keeps the crew supplied with home bakes made by his partner. “It’s the only reason we keep him around,” S/O Connolly jokes.

Chris Parkes is the heavy driver, another DFB dynasty member who

“shoulders his fair share, having passed his driving courses”, while Ashleigh Dillon is the latest member of the crew, having gone through recruit training following a few years in the ERCC, and is invaluable at sensitive cases where female-to-female treatment is required.

“I know everyone is biased, but I do think this is one of the best crews in the job,” S/O Connolly says. “Their enthusiasm is incredible and there is a lovely spread of personalities, who all contribute to the group and gel well together.

“I will be moving on sooner rather than later as I take up a senior S/O role at another station, and while I am looking forward to that, I’m not looking forward to leaving this crew because there is such a good atmosphere here.

I’ll be sad leaving them.

“It’s a paradox, but we have this fantastic group of very enthusiastic people who make my life and my job easy, but I also recognise the potential in all of them. I’m caught between wanting to keep this crew exactly as it is because they work so well, but also wanting them to develop.”

FIRECALL SU M M ER

35

STATION PROFILE

A rare occasion when both tender and ambulance are parked at the station.

Chris Parkes and Ashleigh Dillon (at the smoke curtain), doing some on station practice in tactics used at tall and complex buildings.

AREA This combination of skillsets is needed to cover the area within Kilbarrack fire station’s district, which stretches from Donnycarney to the Howth peninsula, from Swords Road to Dublin Airport and on to Rush and Lusk.

When I ask what the best part of working in Kilbarrack is, S/O Connolly jokes that its’ “going to Howth to get ice creams”, but the reality is that D Watch cover a huge geographical area with lots of unique risks and challenges.

“All stations have their own unique hazards, and for us, we have a very coastal area,” S/O Connolly tells me.

“We have Howth peninsula and lots of beaches. Some people may not realise that our area extends out to the low water mark. Anything within that is the responsibility of our fire and EMS service.”

As the nearest fire station and clinical practitioners to Howth, D Watch work closely with the Coast Guard on cliff rescues and treatment, and with the Phibsboro high line team, helped by the fact S/O Connolly is a rope rescue instructor, which he says “lends itself to dealing with cliff incidences” but they also hold responsibility for the Coolock end of the Port Tunnel, hence the tunnel response specialists.

SU M M ER 36 FIRECALL

The proximity to Howth also means that wildfires take up a lot of time in the hotter months, with this year a particularly resource-consuming season. On top of that, Howth’s working harbour necessitates a lot of pre-fire visits and specialist training to deal with the hazardous challenge of ship firefighting.

“The stats show we are the busiest station in the job, turnout-wise for fire engines,” he adds, “and certainly that’s what it feels like. Also, there used to be a lot of green areas around Kilbarrack, but there is now a huge amount of development going on, particularly towards Baldoyle, Clongriffin, etc, with thousands of domestic units going in.

These are tall and complex buildings, which is another hazard That presents a new challenge to all DFB members, but the training and protocols for that are underway, with new equipment we have to familiarise ourselves with, and I do regular BA training exercises at the station to keep my crew up to speed and importantly, safe.”

The regular drills and exercises S/O Connolly puts on for his crew are sometimes, in his own words, creative, but welcomed by all personnel on D Watch. As a gym instructor, he puts on exercises to maintain functional fitness, and also puts the crew through their paces with smoke-filled garage rescues, climbing the games court, high line, harbour rescues and sea swims.

“It breaks the monotony and is something they are all more than happy to do,” he says, adding that the sea swim element is something taken up with a lot of enthusiasm.

This enthusiasm is what S/O Connolly sees as the best part of working with D Watch here.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a tight knit group of highly motivated, enthusiastic and determined firefighters who want to look out for each other as much as they do,” he tells me.

“They espouse everything good DFB stands for. During my time in No.6, we’ve been to a lot of serious, traumatic and dangerous incidents and at one stage or another, I’ve asked them all to do things that go beyond the call of duty, and the answer is always ‘sure, no problem’. I couldn’t ask for a better bunch.

“They don’t sit back and wait to be led, they bring fresh ideas and improvements to the table. For example, during COVID-19, they embraced the changes, coming up with novel ways of communicating with patients under the PPE, such as using smart phone speech to text. They are natural leaders, which is great for DFB and the public. I’d be keeping an eye on this crew because good things happen when they are around.

“I’m immensely proud of everything they do. They are consummate professionals and I’m humbled to work with them. It’s a good crew, the type of people you want to hang around with.”

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19/08/2021 14:17

ANDREA HALL

A MESSAGE OF

UNITYO

Fire Captain Andrea Hall’s Pledge of Allegiance at the Biden Inauguration epitomised her message of unity and togetherness.

Fire Captain Andrea Hall of the South Fulton Fire and Rescue Department in Georgia.

SUMMER 38 FIRECALL

n January 6, protesters fired up by the rhetoric of former US president Trump stormed the Capitol in Washington DC in an act that underlined the divisions in American politics and society. Just two week later on January 20, Fire Captain Andrea Hall from the South Fulton Fire and Rescue Department in Georgia, stepped up to the podium at the inauguration of 46th President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris in an act that helped to underline a new sense of unity.

On a day of new beginnings and inclusion, with Harris becoming the first African-American, person of South Asian descent, and female vicepresident, it was fitting that Captain Hall took to the stage, having herself achieved several historic firsts. She was the first female firefighter in the Albany, Georgia, Fire Department, in 1993, and in 2004 became the first female African-American to hold the rank of Captain in the South Fulton Fire and Rescue Department, so she knew what it was like to be a part of a new, trailblazing era.

Understandably, with VicePresident Harris preparing to stand for her inauguration, and following a performance of the national anthem by Lady Gaga, Captain Hall was nervous as her moment arrived. “The Pledge is only about 15 seconds – but it felt like a very long time!” she tells me. “I was so

ANDREA HALL

nervous because I was representing half a million firefighters, and I was thinking, I have to go up here and represent these people with dignity, honour, respect and professionalism.

“I wanted to make sure people understood this is a proud profession, I wanted to make sure I was articulating properly, representing all firefighters with dignity and respect, I wanted to make a good impression.

“Everything the Pledge expresses, I wanted to embody in that moment, making sure they understood the passion from which I spoke those words about being indivisible as a nation, because that’s what it’s going to take to move our country forwards.”

Surrounded by former presidents and watching a famous singer walk from the stage, the situation was not exactly normal, Captain Hall admits. “I mean, how do you follow Lady Gaga?” she jokes. However, her sister Whitney’s words of encouragement to “get it together” focused her, and videos of the event show her confidently taking to the podium, even giving President Biden a fist bump on her way, before reciting the Pledge in English and American sign language.

“My whole focus was on not forgetting the words, representing firefighters, representing women, representing African-Americans, representing deaf hearing,” she says. Captain Hall’s decision to recite the Pledge in sign language was something very important to her, and underlines the sense of unity she wanted to help represent on the day. As a child of a deaf parent, she felt the need to show her support for the hearingimpaired community.

“It wasn’t something I shared with others beforehand, but it was something I wanted to do because I have relatives who are deaf or hard of hearing, and there is a large community of people I know,” Captain Hall tells me. “I wasn’t trying to make a big statement about it, I just wanted the people I know who were watching at home to be included as well. And I thought it was in line with the president’s mission.”

Captain Hall delivered the Pledge of Allegiance in both English and American sign language.

Captain Hall only revealed her wish to also make the Pledge in sign language at the event’s rehearsal, and her request was approved on the morning of the inauguration, leading to another historic first.

FIRSTS Those firsts are highlights of Captain Hall’s career, and she has taken each one in her stride. Becoming the first female in the Albany, Georgia, Fire Department in 1993 was not something she had been planning for, she admits.

“I didn’t think of being a firefighter as an option until I was around 19 years old,” she tells me. “I had never seen anyone who looked like me in the fire service. I didn’t know

anything about it, but a cousin of mine was a firefighter and at a chance meeting with him, he told me about a hiring cycle. I applied, and thankfully was hired.”

This meant a little bit of adjustment all round. “I had never experienced anything like it before, but then, the fire department in Albany had never experienced having a woman in their ranks either, so it was new for all of us,” Captain Hall tells me.

“I had the physical ability, but it did take some time for my colleagues to warm to me and realise I had the ability to do the job. There had been this misnomer that everything would have to change when a woman came into the job, that they would have to

“I was so nervous because I was representing half a million firefighters, and I was thinking, I have to go up here and represent these people with dignity, honour, respect and professionalism” FIRECALL SUMMER

39

ANDREA HALL

hang pink curtains and put flowers on the bed linen. Back then, it was a very typical male environment with the usual racy calendars on the walls, but I wasn’t fazed by that because I have brothers. I understand how some women could come in and be fazed by that, but I just thought these are guys, and that’s what they do.”

Having spent a few years with the Albany Fire Department, Captain Hall moved to the larger South Fulton Fire and Rescue Department in 1999 because she wanted to be part of a larger organisation that could offer more opportunities, and in 2004 made that other historic landmark by becoming the first female AfricanAmerican to hold the rank of Captain.

“It was a significant moment in that when I was promoted, the fire department had been in operation for 20 years and there had only been one woman who had made any sort of significant rank – a captain at the time – and there were two other women who had become lieutenants – but there were no African-American women eligible to make rank.

“I wasn’t looking to become the first,” she tells me. “I was just on my career path, and when I did get it, it was mentioned to me about being

Captain Hall with her sister Whitney Williams-Smith, who was herself named Savannah FD’s first female African-American Chief Fire Marshal in 2020.

SUMMER 40 FIRECALL

the first African-American in the position. That made it a huge honour for me, and a lot of responsibility too.

In South Fulton, even in 2021, when I tell people I am a Fire Captain, they are surprised that there are even women in the fire department at all.

People here still don’t realise it is a viable option as a career for women.”

That may now change, given the level of coverage Captain Hall has received since the inauguration, but her involvement in the occasion came out of hard work and dedication that saw her recognised for some notable achievements.

REPRESENTATION Captain Hall was asked to represent all US firefighters by making the Pledge of Allegiance partly because of her work as president of the Georgia chapter of the International Federation of Firefighters (IFF), a position she took up in 2019.

With South Fulton becoming its own municipality a few years ago, Captain Hall was at the forefront of a move to support a local ordinance that paved the way for the right to collective bargaining for its firefighters and to enter into contracts with the municipality.

“The only other municipality to do that in Georgia was Savannah, which as you will know has a huge connection to Dublin Fire Brigade,” Captain Hall tells me. This victory put her on the radar of the IFF, who were very early in endorsing Biden for President.

“As a show of gratitude to our organisation, we were invited by the Biden Transition Team to participate in the inauguration,” she tells me.

This led to Captain Hall being put on the radar of not just the IFF, but nationally, as she explains.

“The organisation asked if I would be interested in doing the Pledge. I have to say I was in shock that the IFF would think of little ol’ me down in South Georgia. There was no answer to give other than ‘Yes.’” Her 28 years of experience as a firefighter and roles as CEO, Chairperson and Licensed Emergency Medical Technician with various first responder agencies and as an instructor also didn’t hurt Captain Hall’s candidacy.

UNITY We come back to the inauguration, and Captain Hall has spoken elegantly about the importance of unity, not just to firefighters, but to society, and to the American public.

“A lot of it has to do with how I was raised,” she tells me. “I come from a very big family and grew up where there is a big work ethic and the idea of working together to survive, even if you don’t agree, and that’s the key to achieving something both personally and as a community: You have to be able to find a common goal, find how to pull our resources together, regardless of our individual beliefs.

“The message I push is that we can’t do anything without each other and without other people. I mean, we can’t even enter this world without the help of someone else – we need a nurse or a doctor. There is nothing in this world we can do alone. That is true of all fire departments, and it is true of society.”

ANDREA HALL

CALMNESS Making that point to an expectant nation using only the 31 words of the Pledge is quite a feat, and despite her nerves, Captain Hall demonstrated remarkable calmness when she took to the podium – something she attributes to her training and work as a firefighter.

“That is one of the gifts we are given as firefighters,” she explains. “We are able to remain calm in chaotic environments. When others are losing their heads, we are calm and able to rationalise, take in massive amounts of information and distil it down to the one most important thing that needs to be done next.

“That certainly helped me when reciting the Pledge. But there was also a palpable warmth in the environment that day,” she recalls. “You could feel the joy of the transition. And that’s not to say anything negative about the previous administration – we all know what that looked like – but there was this feeling of, optimism and inclusion in the transfer to a new administration.”

Of course, after her involvement, Captain Hall admits that the occasion finally got the better of her. “Right after it was over, I went back to the dressing room they had put in for us, and a wave of emotion rushed over me and I wept for about five minutes,” she says. “I didn’t realise I was holding in all of this intense desire to do well, to represent firefighters, but also the sense of hope for this new administration. They were tears of relief and joy.”

RECEPTION Captain Hall laughs at the fact that her own crew didn’t even get to see her recite the Pledge, having been called out to a fire. “That’s how it goes – the life of a firefighter,” she says. But she does fondly remember the days afterwards when she says she got a very warm reception from her colleagues and from the local community.

“There was a lot of ribbing, of course,” she tells me, “but the

Captain Hall with her sister Whitney and the Obamas at the inauguration.

reception was great, from other firefighters and people I don’t know. I am humbled by it and am very appreciated.

“I expected I was going to go and say those words in 15 seconds, then sit down and it was going to be done,” Captain Hall explains. “Do my part, and bam – done! Then go home and retreat back into obscurity. But that’s not the way it happened.” Far from it.

“I have been talking to people from everywhere across the world – talking to you in Ireland, people in Japan, Australia, everywhere,” she says. “I wasn’t even on social media before this. So, when all of this coverage started to happen, I was really taken aback, thinking, wow, people are that interested?

“Perhaps because of our culture, firefighters don’t seek a lot of attention, but we have an obligation to demonstrate the value of what we do, because we want to continue the sense of respect and honour and pride in this profession. We can do that by being examples, and by showing that others can become a part of that community

too, and I hope I showed both of those when I recited the Pledge.”

Having mentioned the DFB connections to nearby Savannah earlier, Captain Hall returns to the subject of Irish people and the firefighting profession, pointing out some Irish ancestry in the McSwaine side of her family.

“I have a very deep respect for the Irish and Ireland,” she is quick to tell me. “You have such an interesting and important history in this country.

Your people came here and were rejected, and the only thing available was the dirty jobs such as police and firefighting, but the Irish embraced this opportunity and brought their heritage into it. So, we owe the Irish a huge sense of gratitude for what they did to establish our modern-day fire service.

“I think the resilience and determination and self-pride speaks volumes and carries over into what we do now, and that is why being a firefighter is such an honour. It is something to be proud of and we owe it to you guys. If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

FIRECALL SUMMER

41

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19/08/2021 14:18

RUGBY

Keith Mason and Stephen Weldon modelling the new kit.

RUGBY’S RETURN The DFB Rugby Club is looking forward to getting back on the pitch, Keith Mason tells Adam Hyland

A

s with most other clubs within the Dublin Fire Brigade, the DFB Rugby team has had to put a lot of activities on hold during the pandemic, but hopes are high that members will once again be able to take to the field in the coming months to represent the organisation.

“We have to wait for things to return to a bit more normality and see how members are fixed in terms of family arrangements before we can finalise any fixtures, but we’re definitely working hard to get a few

games organised this side of Christmas, so there should soon be some solid dates that we can work towards to get playing again,” FF/P Keith Mason tells me.

Apart from some home fixtures against other organisations being in the pipeline, Keith says that the team is also looking further afield, should restrictions on travel lift.

GAMES “We have our eyes set on the World Firefighter Games in Lisbon in April next year,” he says, “and the World Police and Fire Games in Rotterdam in July, as two possible trips. These will of course be dependent on a few things, but we are looking to see if there is interest there, and whether we can get the numbers to go.

“We would be competing in the Rugby 7s tournament, which is a bit of

a different kettle of fish, but we can try to adapt. We’d be hoping to get a team, and then some more support and reserves to make up a group of around 12 people.

“That’s the long-term plan so far, but we hope to get some other fixtures organised for the end of this year, and then some more for early next year to coincide with the Six Nations, when there is a break in club fixtures and more players will be available.

“We know people are keen to get going again and to have a match, but we also know we are all in the same boat in terms of circumstances, and everybody has to look at getting time off, etc, and it can be a big challenge to organise those fixtures and make sure we have enough bodies to fulfil them. But we are hoping…”

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RUGBY

The new branded tracksuit bottoms.

Presenting SO Dan Fynes, DFBSSC Secretary with a t-shirt s thanks for the ongoing support.

NEW MEMBERS Keith says that the club is always on the lookout for new members, and is keen to emphasise that you don’t have to be a superstar to get involved.

“What we want to stress is that any rugby players of any ability whatsoever are encouraged to get in touch with me at A Watch Tallaght, by email or by phone,” he tells me.

“There are players out there who might not feel like they can join up because they have only recently joined DFB, or they might think they aren’t at the right level, but to be honest, the ability levels aren’t as high as some might think! There is a very mixed level of ability in the team, so it is open to anybody.

“There are members who have played at various levels, but the style of rugby we play isn’t complicated – we let the good players play to their standard and we follow their lead.

It’s an all-inclusive team, so if you are involved in a club, or used to be, and feel like you would like to keep playing, consider joining us.

“I also know there are a few classes of recruits in recent years we haven’t been able to reach out to properly yet, and sometimes you do hear through the grapevine that a certain person at a certain station is a good player, or at least is a player, and we want them to come along if they are interested.”

44

The DFB Rugby sweater.

NEW KIT With a restart on the horizon, the club also recently acquired some new kit from JF Sports, with small membership fees, and sponsorship from that sportswear company, the DFBSSC and Dubco enabling them to purchase new tracksuit bottoms, t-shirts and sweaters for each member.

“DFBSSC have been brilliant support to us since we rebuilt the club a few years ago,” Keith tells me, “and they and Dubco were very good to give us sponsorship again. Stephen Weldon from B Watch Swords also did a lot of work in the background in sourcing the new kit for us and getting it delivered and sent to individual players, so I must thank him for that.

“It’s great to get some new kit because previously we were showing

up to games as a rag-tag bunch, not even wearing the same t-shirts, so to have something we can all wear, even for after matches, just makes us look better, more like a team, especially when we are representing DFB.” The new kit is also now available to purchase on the club’s online shop, with all sales proceeds going back into the club to pay for the expenses involved in organising and putting on games, registration, travel, receptions and food.

“Hopefully things will look a little clearer soon,” Keith concludes, “so myself and the committee, and all the players are keen and eager to go and get back out there on the pitch.”

The online shop is at www.jfsports.ie/product-category/clubshop/dublin-fire-brigade-rugby/

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DAMIEN STORAN

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LENS “ O Press photographer Damien Storan talks to Adam Hyland about capturing the right image, ethics and the importance of context and professionalism.

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ne of the misconceptions that the emergency services can have is that when they see a photographer showing up at an incident, they think I am there for the sensational,” photojournalist Damien Storan tells me. “Sometimes they will tell you that you have to leave, you can’t take pictures, but I always explain that I am there to take pictures of them working, because they are the story at that moment.

“I am absolutely not looking for the sensational, certainly not for pictures of a body or a victim. I’m there to find a way to capture an image that tells the story of what has happened, through the people who have to deal with it.”

While he constantly has to struggle with this misconception about his work practices, and even his mere presence at an incident, an ethical approach and high degree of professionalism shines through in Damien’s photographs that make him an increasingly recognisable and, importantly, trusted, presence

DAMIEN STORAN

“Your hands might be shaking, but once you put the camera up in front of your face, it’s like you are not even there, you are in full work mode”

S/O Dan Fynes at the scene of a fatal house fire.

at a scene. Sometimes stark, often stunning, but always engrossing, they are proof of the old adage that a picture tells a thousand words. They also serve to illustrate exactly what he says: that he is there to capture the image that tells the true story, not to shock or disturb, and not to offend those emergency responders who are at times dealing with some of the hardest situations anyone can face.

PROFESSIONALISM

Recalling several dramatic incidents he has covered, he says his

professional approach has helped him get the images he needs without being affected by what he witnesses.

“When you get to those scenes, you do have to take in what is going on for yourself, but then you say, right, ‘work mode’. Your hands might be shaking, but once you put the camera up in front of your face, it’s like you are not even there, you are in full work mode. If you look at it from the point of view that you are seeing it through a viewfinder, you can remove yourself from it to some degree.

“You have to do that. You obviously have to weigh up your personal safety, have an idea of what kind of pictures you want, or what kind of pictures a particular media outlet wants, and you just do it. You get it done, go back to the car and send them off, and it’s usually only when you get home that you have time to think, ‘that was surreal’. Sometimes when I look at the pictures, I don’t even remember having taken them, or sometimes I will notice something I didn’t see when I took it in work mode.

“When I get to the scene of an incident, though, I always try to imagine what it must be like for the firefighter or paramedic who is involved. I can be behind a cordon at a distance, trying to capture what is happening, but these people are right on the scene, dealing with it, and that is something I always try to portray,” he says.

“If I go to a fire, I am more interested in taking pictures of the emergency services working rather than the fire, because they tell the story of what has happened much

more. You can see it in their faces.

You can tell from how they look whether this was a fatal fire, for example. They might come up to me and tell me that this is a very sensitive scene, and I always acknowledge that and will never go looking for an image of something upsetting, and I try to get that across. I’m relatively new to the job, so maybe I am bringing a new mentality that emergency workers haven’t seen before, but for me, they are so important to the telling of the story at the scene.

“I think to some degree I have managed to get that message across to Dublin Fire Brigade members who know when they see me that I am not looking for a gruesome shot. There is an idea that photographers are trying to catch you out in some way, or capture the worst of the incident, but that is not true at all. For me, if I can capture emergency responders working at whatever they have to do at a scene, it is much more dramatic, and much more powerful storytelling. My pictures are about what is happening right there, telling the full story because they are part of it. That’s the human side of the story, not the flames or the smoke.”

STORYTELLING

There is, he tells me, always “that one shot” that captures the moment, which is what all press photographers seek. “Every press photographer or photojournalist will tell you that there is one shot that tells the whole story in one frame, it’s something you learn and find a sense for,” he says. “When I first started out, I was doing the ‘spray

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DAMIEN STORAN

Firefighters finishing up at a fire in South Dublin. The picture reveals the highly detailed inner workings of the tender at the scene.

and pray’ approach, taking lots of pictures and hoping for the best. You end up with 200 pictures, but none of them are right. But the more you do it, the better you get at framing things properly. If you can tell the story in that one image, you have a good photo that could make the front page.

“You aren’t looking for any one element, you don’t go there thinking I have to get pictures of the flames at a fire, or I have to get shots of the hose going into a house. It’s a case of visually summing up the whole story, an ability to see that shot that I had to learn. To see the bigger picture rather than zooming in on something specific.”

CAREER

Damien’s portfolio that has seen his images published in national and local newspapers has predominantly covered incidents involving the emergency services, but this has come about due to circumstances, having decided to become a fulltime press photographer just before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill, meaning there was little to cover apart from emergency incidents.

“My entire career as a press photographer has taken place within the COVID-19 timescale,” he admits, “so that is a big reason why I ended up covering breaking news, because it was SUMMER 48 FIRECALL

all that was going on – accidents and crimes. There were no events to cover, but maybe when it is over, I can start to do nicer things like events and concerts.”

An interest in striking images has been with him for a lot longer though, and while he says he was always engrossed in what was going on around the world, what really got him interested were the unforgettable images of the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and the Iraq War in the years that followed.

“The images from 9/11 are etched into all of our memories,” he says, “but I remember being very interested in imagining what it must have been like for the news cameraman who was looking up at the Twin Towers and captured those images. I remember thinking, that must be a crazy job.”

While doing a degree he admits he had no interest in, Damien started up a news blog in his native Limerick, soon realising that if he wanted pictures to go with his stories, he would need to go out, get a camera and take them himself.

“I saw it as my way of contributing to local news coverage,” he tells me, “but it was always a side project because I knew at that age that I couldn’t make a business of it, and with my parents eager to see me earning, I went into baking, but I kept trying to capture the news whenever

Firefighters at ground level watch on as a turntable ladder is put into position over a large industrial fire in West Dublin.

Press photographer Damien Storan.

I could. Then, by the end of 2019, I figured I was ready to do this full time. In January 2020 I did my first proper news story under another press photographer who showed me the proper workflow of taking pictures, sending them off, etc, and I knew for sure this was what I wanted to do. The next day, I quit my job, but within two months, we were in lockdown.”

Quickly getting to grips with Dublin and building up his own sources,

DAMIEN STORAN

A firefighter looks directly down my lens revealing his ‘Movember’ charity moustache while dealing with a fire one November night.

Damien soon became a familiar face at incidents, which is something he hopes will only increase. As with any self-respecting journalist, he doesn’t reveal his sources, but stresses the importance of acting professionally and building up trust with people who then feel comfortable in letting you know about incidents, because they know they will be covered properly.

METHODS

He is happy to tell me that he also uses social media to keep an eye on what is going on around the city, giving him valuable tip-offs about incidents he should cover. “I have an Instagram account where I encourage people to send me tips, and that works very

well,” he says, “but Twitter is also an immense information gathering tool.

It is obviously a massive platform, but I think it is still underrated in terms of just how useful it is for information gathering, if you know what to look for and how to piece the information together. You can easily find out about incidents just by using search terms properly.

“For example, you can find out that gardaí have closed off a road in Swords because someone tweeted a question to the AA, then you go to the AA Twitter account and see they have closed off a whole section of the road, and pretty soon you get the picture that there has been a collision or a vehicle fire. You piece together the different bits to get

A photo showing the technical skills of the Dublin Fire Brigade crews as they take a casualty from a roof in a flawless Hi Line rescue.

an idea of what is happening.

“It’s all about chasing the information, asking questions about what is going on around you, finding the small pieces of information and following them to the conclusion of knowing where to go to capture a story with my camera.”

MISCONCEPTIONS

This aspect inevitably leads to another misconception or misnomer about photojournalists and press photographers: that of being an “ambulance chaser”. In recent years, thanks to a film called Nightcrawler that features an unscrupulous video news reporter in LA, that particular coinage has also become more

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DAMIEN STORAN

common, but Damien’s ethos and approach means he is as far from this character as possible, but it has come up a few times.

“I didn’t see that film until after somebody said it to me,” he admits, “and as soon as I did watch it, I thought, ‘that’s not me!’ Obviously, there is the idea of getting to a scene first, and I have created a niche where I tend to work later into the night than most because I have more freedom but also because as a freelancer I can’t afford not to. That does give me a certain exclusivity in that other press photographers aren’t there at the scene as much as me. However, I’m not there to capture the bad stuff, and I stick to my ethics and common decency. There have been lots of instances where I decided that no, I’m not taking that picture, because it comes down to your personal responsibilities and ethics, and you have to gauge it at that moment.”

ETHICS

That unwritten ethical code is something that stands to him when it comes to the photographs Damien does capture, and is part and parcel of the work of most, if not all, press photographers or photojournalists.

“There’s no rulebook,” he says. “When I joined the Press Photographer’s Association, they didn’t give me a guidebook saying what to do and how. It comes down to the fact that hopefully you have been raised properly with a good sense of morals, and you know what to take a picture of and what to not take a picture of. You also have the safety net of picture editors and editors who will decide whether a photograph is suitable for print. That’s an extra layer of ethics and decency that comes in regarding press photographers, and with that there is also our professionalism and the ability to provide context.

“I know I am attending pressurised, sensitive incidents, and understandably you can see the faces changing in emergency services staff SUMMER 50 FIRECALL

An FF/P walks away from the scene where a car crashed into a house, holding the hydraulic rescue tool that helped free a passenger moments before.

“There is an idea that photographers are trying to catch you out in some way, or capture the worst of the incident, but that is not true at all” because they are thinking ‘here’s a photographer’, but I always try to explain that I am not there to take anything bad, and I hope I have proved from the pictures I have had published that, true to my word, I did go for the type of photos I said I was going for, the ones of the people working the scene.”

The context Damien mentions is something he also strives to provide in his images, and apart from the quality of the images, it is this that makes professionals stand out from bystanders using their mobile phones to hurriedly post images that haven’t been ethically checked by an editor before publication.

“Photographers have a very hard time, especially in the age of camera phones, but it is important to point out that trained and experienced photographers know how to tell a story with a picture, not just take a picture, in the way we frame it,” he says. “We can add a much more powerful context.

I’m not a rubbernecker arriving on the scene to take pictures, this is my job that I do for a living,” he points out. “I will always provide the right context, not just the most dramatic picture that would give a wrong impression, or not tell the story properly. I have to be professional in order to sell my pictures, so be assured that I will always be professional in what I do and the type of pictures I take.”

That message is something he asks that DFB members remember if and when they see him arrive on the scene of an incident, and he welcomes contact from any emergency responders who like his images posted to Instagram @damostoran

Brown Thomas would like to thank Dublin Fire Brigade for their continued hard work.

Their commitment to making the city safer for all of us is greatly appreciated and we are proud to show our support.

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19/08/2021 18/08/2021 14:26 16:56

AID WORK

GOING GLOBAL Former DFB member Paul Rock talks to Adam Hyland about coordinating a huge humanitarian aid project to India, Nepal and Brazil.

M

any will be aware of the outstanding humanitarian work done

by DFB members past and present, and the number of ways in which they have made a positive impact in the world. One recent endeavour, however, brought the idea of “DFB Global” to a whole new level.

Former DFB firefighter and SubOfficer Paul Rock is now an Assistant National Fire Adviser in the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, part of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and a member of the National Emergency Coordination Group, a European Civil Protection Mechanism Expert, and Disaster Assessment and Coordination Specialist with the United Nations. His expertise led to his recently coordinating humanitarian aid to India, Nepal and Brazil, countries badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Given his experience in such roles, Paul knew what to expect from such a complex international endeavour.

Over a 12-week period, he and a colleague coordinated with all

SUMMER 52 FIRECALL

Government departments including Taoisigh, the Emergent Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) in Brussels, DG Echo, transport companies, airlines, and airport authorities, while also dealing directly with the Irish ambassadors in both India and Brazil. The aid shipments they sent included oxygen ventilators, oxygen generators and PPE donated

by HSE Global. In total, four large shipments were donated, utilising Antanov and 747 aircraft. As a result, many lives were saved and Paul and his colleagues have now been nominated for a Global Civil Service award, with the ceremony taking place in November.

For Paul, his work with DFB and the qualifications he acquired during his time there have stood him in good stead for this type of work.

“It shows you the grounding you can have, the training that comes with DFB, it gives you the ability and confidence to do a lot of jobs,” he says. “After 18 years in DFB you come across all scenarios and eventualities, so the grounding for what I do now was there in DFB. It gives me a unique perspective in my current role because I am a civil servant, but with a different outlook and background that another civil servant may not have because they have never been operational. I feel uniquely placed in terms of how I can see the world.”

STARTING OUT Paul’s DFB career began in 2001 in the Tara Street Control Room, before he

moved to B Watch in Finglas where he gained valuable experience.

“I had great times there,” he says.

“It was a very busy station, going out to Ballymun and the Airport, but it was great because we had fires every night, which was good from a learning perspective.”

He moved to Phibsboro for a few years before returning to Tara Street as a Sub-officer on A Watch, but during his firefighting career he was

AID WORK

Paul Rock prepares a large humanitarian aid shipment.

also seconded to Pre-Fire Planning for DFB for many years, and also developed the Major Emergency Management Pod, the on-site Coordination Centre for the Eastern Region, and he constantly strove to obtain qualifications across a range of disciplines and areas of expertise.

“I got my qualifications in tandem with working for DFB,” he tells me, “because I felt that even though there wasn’t very much free time, I wanted

to spend it productively, so I took all of those courses to occupy and better myself.”

These qualifications include a Masters in Forensic Fire Scene Investigation, a Masters in Emergency Management, a degree in Business and Emergency Services, and a Postgrad in Fire Service Practice in Buildings, to name but a few.

“CFO Keeley had done the Masters in Emergency Management at DCU

before me and raved about it, saying how good a course it was and how it gave a broader perspective in terms of civil protection and what that entails,” he tells me, detailing how this led on to other similar qualifications.

On the subject of the National Directorate for Fire Emergency Management, Paul tells me: “I had done my thesis for my Masters on mass fatality planning, and they were developing this as a core component,

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AID WORK

“You get a great satisfaction when you are able to help people who have been left devastated by emergencies of any description” so I was asked if I would go across and work on that for a year. I have been there for seven years now!”

That role, and those with the EU and the UN have seen Paul work across the world, and although he sees it as a challenge to be on a roster of available experts and called up at a moment’s notice, he says: “You get a great satisfaction when you are able to help people who have been left devastated by emergencies of any description.”

As he says, his work now is an expansion of what he did in DFB – helping people in need, and Paul explains that the broader role called to him.

“When I went on secondment, I SUMMER 54 FIRECALL

The ERCC kept all stakeholders up to date on the progress of each shipment of aid.

The shipping of Irish Aid involved liaising with a number of Government departments, agencies and companies.

really enjoyed the work,” he says.

“I do miss working with DFB, the camaraderie you used to have was great, but when I was on secondment I got to do a lot, and I just got the appetite for these and wanted to do more.

“That’s not to say DFB didn’t offer what I wanted,” he is quick to point out, “because it is a very challenging job, with great opportunities offered to everybody, but I saw my path going in a different direction.”

In his technical role as Assistant Fire Adviser, which involves formulating technical guidance and protocols that need to be developed, Paul says he achieved one of the

things he is very proud of: the first National Fire Safety campaign in Ireland, which followed on from the Carrickmines tragedy.

“I was in a unique position to formulate that,” he tells me, “because I had the operational knowledge of what happens on the ground at fires, and was able to marry that together with the strategic outlook required from a fire protection point of view.

“Most people wouldn’t be familiar with the work I do, but they would be familiar with the consequences, such as with Carrickmines and the subsequent fire safety campaign. I work with the eight MEM regions in Ireland, creating a mass fatality

AID WORK

framework and providing guidance for all major emergency events such as flooding, severe weather, etc, and I am the focal point or national contact point in Ireland in relation to civil protection. I’m also part of the Director General for Ireland for Civil Protection, so my role is very varied, and sometimes the reason behind it is unpleasant, but necessary.”

This was very true of the humanitarian aid project for India, Nepal and Brazil.

Liaising with global health agencies to provide the aid needed.

AID “I got a call from the emergency response coordination centre in Brussels,” he tells me. “All they told me was that there had been a consular discussion between the Irish ambassador in New Delhi and the EU delegation there, about possibly offering aid to India.

“India was in the middle of a second wave, and had activated the European Civil Protection mechanism, looking for member states and others around the world to offer oxygen equipment.

I started ringing around the various departments and eventually found out that HSE Global had some of the equipment requested by the Indian authorities. From there, I worked with the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Transport, Revenue and Health, HSE Global, and any number of ambassadors and embassies, a huge amount of people to engage with, because we had no procedure for doing this.

“Humanitarian Aid is normally delivered through the Department of Foreign Affairs, but because this project had come through the European Civil Protection mechanism, I was thrust into a central role as coordinator.

“Myself and my colleague Karl Lawlor were the only two people working to liaise with all of those different agencies and embassies across multiple countries. Normally, you have at least five or six people in a European Civil Protection Team,

Paul and a colleague prepare shipment as the enormous Antanov aircraft is readied for departure.

but this was just two of us. Because I started it, and I had the knowhow, I just ran with it. I was asked if I wanted more people to help, but because it was all new, we were feeling in the dark, and I was always fearful that with a larger team something might fall through the cracks. It was very trying for 12 weeks working 24/7, but we did

coordinate regularly with everybody involved. It wasn’t me trying to hog the limelight, I just felt it was easier for me to do what I did.

“Within the mechanism, there is a platform called the Common Emergency Communications and Information System, if any country in the world is in trouble and feels that

“After 18 years in DFB you come across all scenarios and eventualities, so the grounding for what I do now was there in DFB” FIRECALL SUMMER

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AID WORK

they need help. Two types of resource can be sent – people or equipment, experts or modules. The modules could be high-capacity pumping for flood relief or equipment for aerial firefighting, and expert teams can be deployed to assist with the receipt of international aid, to support the national agencies, not to take over.”

With Paul as coordinator, Ireland became the first member state to offer and land aid in India.

“We landed two very large aircraft delivering oxygen generators and concentrators, ventilators, and other oxygen therapy equipment,” Paul says, “and from me receiving the call, five days later we had that first plane landing in India. It did take the other member states by surprise because Ireland doesn’t normally offer aid on this scale through the European mechanism, and it was a real gesture.

Thankfully, we were in a unique position because we had built up a lot of stock when developing field hospitals for COVID-19 that weren’t required in the end.”

A spillover from the COVID-19 crisis in India into Nepal affected that country’s rates badly, and they also activated the mechanism. Within weeks, another large aircraft landed in Nepal, before an enormous amount of medication was sent to Brazil by the end of June.

“As with India, it was an enormous logistical process,” Paul says. “You need to liaise with all of the agencies who can help because while you don’t have all the knowledge, you know where to get the knowledge to solve the problem.”

SATISFACTION The aid was gratefully received, and Paul says he got great satisfaction from seeing the job through to the lifesaving conclusion. “I got a message from the Indian ambassador with a video of an oxygen generator being plugged in at a hospital, with all the Irish Aid logos on it,” he tells me, “and the feelgood factor was incredible.

SUMMER 56 FIRECALL

“My role is very varied, and sometimes the reason behind it is unpleasant, but necessary” You don’t want thanks for what you do, but to see things like that really gives you a boost.”

On the aid sent to Brazil, Paul says: “That donation will save 55,000 lives.

They needed a muscle relaxant drug so people could be ventilated. The HSE had a stock of this in Ireland, and we were able to provide 47,000 vials to treat those 55,000 people effectively.

“That project was a bit more complicated but everybody pulled together to make it happen, no one person saying no. I didn’t hear that word ‘no’ in the eight weeks, which was great.”

The success of the entire operation has been recognised at every level, with Paul seeing the positive effects in the affected countries.

“The work involved and the cooperation seen was immense,” Paul says. “Our contributions have been recognised by the UN Security Council. I received lots of messages from people all around the world asking me to pass on thanks to everybody involved for what they did.”

This thanks came from all three countries who received aid, and from others worldwide, and Paul says he takes a huge amount of pride in the efforts of all involved.

Given what he has achieved, I ask Paul what he is most proud of throughout his career, and he is quick to tell me that it was actually the design of the garden of reflection in Phibsboro fire station, built in memory of Leon Rafferty and all other DFB members who have passed away, which he was able to do because he had previously studied in the Botanic Gardens, and worked in DCC Parks for a few years.

“I had to leave before I saw its

completion, so others took over,” he says, “but that was what I am most proud of. I have been lucky to be in the right place at the right time with the right knowledge, but the garden in Phibsboro will always be there for people to take a moment to themselves.”

PROGRESSION Paul emphasises that the opportunities to make a valuable contribution on a global scale are there, and that firefighters are uniquely positioned to play a vital role.

“The family of firefighters across Europe are heavily involved in civil protection, and I think from our perspective we are only starting out on that journey,” he says. “There are a lot of training courses available for firefighters and anyone from the emergency services with regard to civil protection and becoming a mechanism expert, and I would encourage DFB members to embrace this.

“Ireland hosts an Operations Management course in the OBI, so we do offer training and there are a lot of options available to DFB members, once they are nominated by the CFO. If they are offered it, I would encourage them to take it because it is great to get experience on an international scale.”

With the message clear that further training and expertise is available, Paul once again encourages all DFB members to consider roles in civil protection and emergency management from within DFB. Apart from the personal achievements and progression, and the chance to provide a positive contribution on an international level, both of which can provide great satisfaction, you never know where in the world you might end up working.

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MICHAEL DUGGAN

AN UNEXPECTED REUNION FF/P Michael Duggan tells Adam Hyland about his coincidental connection to the vintage fire truck that came from Long Island this summer.

T

he last issue of Firecall featured a story about vintage fire engine collector Liam Moore’s project to bring an old fire truck from New York to Dublin. While many might have read this with interest, for A Watch Donnybrook FF/P Michael Duggan, news of this endeavour was a real blast from the past because he actually had first-hand knowledge of Glen Cove’s Ladder 5211, having helped out the volunteer fire department in the Long Island community back in 1990.

Michael had heard a few snippets of information about a vintage fire truck coming to a private owner in Dublin, but it wasn’t until he watched a video of its arrival that he started to put two and two together, and realised it was the very truck he had seen in action more than 30 years ago.

COINCIDENCE “It’s the kind of story you see in the media, like those ones where someone rescues a person from a fire many years ago and now they are reunited,” he tells me. “My friend and colleague Willie Bermingham, who has his own old DFB appliance, had brought his into our station in Donnybrook to

SUMMER 58 FIRECALL

Michael Duggan is reunited with the vintage fire truck from Glen Cove.

clean it one evening because he was planning to meet the US fire truck on its arrival, and while I gave him a hand, he told me about it, but I didn’t pay much attention to it because it could have been any truck coming from anywhere.

“He mentioned Glen Cove, and I thought, that’s amazing, it’s the same station I was at when I was in America many years ago, but I didn’t think in

my wildest dreams that it would end up being the very same fire truck I was on over there, so I said to him to enjoy the day, and forgot all about it.

“That next day, one of the other members of the Watch went down to the quays with his family to watch the fire truck and escort go by, and he put up a video on our WhatsApp featuring the DFB engines accompanying this old US truck when it arrived off the

MICHAEL DUGGAN

“I saw the video, and I couldn’t believe it. I was looking at the video and thinking: that truck looks very familiar.

The hairs on my neck stood up”

A young Michael Duggan standing beside Ladder 5211 in Glen Cove, Long Island in 1990.

boat. I was looking at the video and thinking: that truck looks very familiar. The hairs on my neck stood up. I told my wife, ‘you’re not going to believe this, but…’ and she said ‘Ah no it couldn’t be’, so I went up to the attic to look for my old photographs from my time in America, and when I looked at the characteristics of the truck from my photographs and then from the video, I realised it was absolutely the same truck from more than 30 years ago!”

AMERICAN VISIT Michael tells me how this coincidence came about. “I joined in 1986 and was stationed in Tara Street until I was sent out to Donnybrook, where I have served for 33 years, but back in the 1980s and 1990s the Donnelly Visas were available via a lottery for Irish people who wanted to go and live in America, and I applied because I had considered the move. I was in Dublin Fire Brigade about three or four years at the time, but was lucky enough to get a visa.

Ladder 5211 was met by a welcoming group of DFB members upon its arrival at Dublin Port.

However, I was very happy in my job, so I was trying to decide what to do.

“I was finding it hard to make up my mind, so I arranged for leave and went over for six weeks and stayed with a close friend of mine who was living in a place called Glen Cove on Long Island, New York, to see if I liked it.

My friend had gotten a visa a year or two beforehand, and had made a new life for himself, and he suggested that while I was over there, I should go down to the Glen Cove fire house and chat to the firefighters there. I went down and ended up talking to the

Chief at the time, Mike Smith.”

After speaking to Smith about the possibility of moving over to New York and perhaps joining FDNY, but not being sure about leaving DFB, the Chief said that during his six-week stay Michael should come in for a few nights and go out on the truck, to see what life as a firefighter there would be like.

“I jumped at the chance, because at that stage the fire service was now in my blood,” Michael says, “and Chief Smith arranged for me to stay a few nights, gave me the full set of gear,

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MICHAEL DUGGAN

said he would let me go out on a few calls, and showed me the fire truck.

“On one of those nights, I had my photograph taken in my firefighting gear, standing beside Ladder 5211, and that’s the photo I took home with me that I ended up looking at years later.

“I got to know a few of the lads there and kept in touch with them for a good while, but in the end, I decided I wanted to stay in Dublin Fire Brigade, and returned to Dublin after my six weeks. I was too happy in DFB.”

FF/P Michael Duggan tries out the truck he was last in 31 years ago.

STAYING IN DUBLIN Michael says he is very happy with the decision he made.

“I would probably have been able to get a career break to go and live and work over in Long Island for a year if I wanted to, but as it happened, I had just managed to get a place in Donnybrook fire station, and I was very happy there. I worked hard to get there and got on really well with the crew, so I was reluctant to go off for a year and then maybe have to return to Tara Street before being assigned to a different Watch or station. You never know what might have been if I had made the decision to move over there – I could still be there now, but I do know that I have had a very enjoyable life in DFB. It’s been a good career, and it is hard to believe it has gone so fast – 35 years!

Appliances from HQ and Phibsboro provided an escort when the US fire truck made its first journey on Irish soil.

SUMMER 60 FIRECALL

“I wasn’t one who wanted to be in the fire brigade since childhood, but I have to say it’s like winning the lottery getting in, because of the people in the job, the variety of call outs, that you get to help people, and I have made many great friends, they are like a second family, and I have to say there is no better job.”

REUNION Ladder 5211 making its way to Dublin rekindled fond memories as part of a coincidence he still can’t believe.

He got the number for Liam Moore, who confirmed the truck was one and the same. “I told Liam my story and he couldn’t believe the coincidence either,” Michael tells me. “That was a brand new truck when I was in Glen Cove, and now it has retired and come to Dublin.

“The thing is, in Long Island and places like that outside of New York, they have fire houses nearly every mile and a half. That’s the way it works over there – there are volunteer fire houses everywhere – so that’s what makes it such an amazing coincidence for me. Not only was this a fire truck from New York, but from Long Island, and not only that, but from the very one of many, many fire houses that it could have been from. It just so happened to come from the one I went to during my time over there.”

Michael made plans with Liam Moore to visit him and be reunited with Ladder 5211, donning his old gear to replicate the photo from his time in Long Island, and tells me the visit was “a fantastic, interesting trip”.

He also plans to get in touch with Glen Cove to let them know about the coincidence. “I know they are all aware that it has found a new home in Dublin because they had a lot of coverage about it, but it would be nice to get in touch and tell them my story,” he says. “I’m sure they would be interested to know someone who was there 31 years ago ended up being with the truck again so many years later and all the way over here.

Like me, they will be happy to know that the truck has a second home, and it will be interesting to see what happens to it now.”

Transdev/Veolia sends a message of support and thanks to Dublin Fire Brigade for their dedication and hard work during difficult times.

Through their excellent service, they have helped to keep Dublin moving, and for that we applaud them.

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PRIDE

Lord Mayor Hazel Chu and A/C/O Greg O’Dwyer with DFB members and PRIDE organisers.

A/C/O Greg O’Dwyer.

DFB helped share the message of inclusion and diversity as part of Pride month in June.

SUMMER 62 FIRECALL

PRIDE

Flying the flag for PRIDE.

CFO Dennis Keeley with the DFB message of diversity.

The HQ-based fire appliance carrying the PRIDE flag colours.

T

o celebrate Pride month, Dublin Fire Brigade gave one of its fire appliances a new look, and on June 17 unveiled the vehicle wrapped in the Dublin Pride colours in a socially-distanced event outside the Mansion House.

Pride month is the most prominent event of the year run by the Dublin LGBTQ+ community, and helps to raise awareness of the discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ people, promote diversity and inclusion in society, and champion equality for all people. This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the annual parade, as well as many other events supporting the cause, were unable to go ahead on the city’s streets and instead took place online.

To help ensure there was still a visible presence of support, DFB

redesigned the HQ-based appliance that was seen traversing the city as it responded to emergency calls across the city, with the instantly recognisable Pride colours and the slogan: Fire doesn’t discriminate. Neither do we, emblazoned across the vehicle for two weeks.

DFB ambulances carried a similar message saying: Caring with Pride.

Firefighters and officers from DFB were joined at the launch by Dublin Lord Mayor Hazel Chu, and CEO of Dublin Pride Jed Dowling.

At the launch, A/C/O Greg O’Dwyer said: “Dublin Fire Brigade have been involved with Dublin Pride for the past number of years and we are delighted to unveil this fire appliance as a visible symbol of support for the celebration of Pride. We carry the same care and respect for all citizens and visitors

to Dublin without discrimination.

As an organisation, we too have a responsibility to ensure a workplace founded on equality without fear of discrimination.”

Saying she was honoured to officially launch Dublin Fire Brigade’s Pride fire appliance, then-Lord Mayor Hazel Chu said: “Dublin’s firefighters and paramedics are always there for the citizens and visitors of Dublin and help everyone in need equally.”

Jed Dowling said: “Dublin Fire Brigade has always played an important role in planning our annual Pride Parade. The fact that in a year when we won’t have our usual parade, they would cover a fire appliance in our flag to help us send our message of pride, diversity and inclusion across the city, makes us very proud of all its firefighters and paramedics.”

FIRECALL SUMMER

63

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RETIRED MEMBERS

RETIRED MEMBER PROFILE Martin Williams Retired FF/P Martin Williams talks to Adam Hyland about his career and life as a ROMEO

“

I

can still remember my first turnout,” retired DFB member Martin Williams laughs. “I was busy sorting out my locker when the bell went off, and the big thing in my head was that you couldn’t be left behind, so I threw my stuff in the locker, heart in mouth, practically jumping down the pole, and ran to the muster area.

The Officer on duty walked over to me and said casually, ‘Yeah, we’re just going out to get a bulb changed in the headlight’.”

If that was a bit of an anti-climax, Martin’s time with DFB got a lot busier very quickly.

“My start date was 9 February, 1981,” he tells me, “and that was significant because it was five days before the Stardust fire. I was still in recruit training, but that was held in Kilbarrack station at the time, and Kilbarrack responded to the fire.

“I was an electrician before I joined and had no connections in the Brigade, and I didn’t even know where the stations were, so everything was brand new to me.

But on the Saturday morning after the Stardust, the DFB for me went from being an obscure part of Dublin to being the centre of the universe. Suddenly there were TV crews and reporters outside, and we

Martin with four of his grandchildren.

felt like we were in the inner circle immediately. It also opened my eyes to what the job entailed.”

WELCOMING Martin adds that in his first few months following training, when he was assigned to D Watch at Tara Street, he attended several major

fires and a very serious RTC, and was on the ambulance as it made several trips back and forth to O’Connell Street as riots erupted following the death of Bobby Sands, but quickly got used to the job thanks to the welcoming nature of the crew and the level of encouragement he received.

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RETIRED MEMBERS

“If, like me, you have never been in any type of emergency service before DFB, you never know how you are going to react to an incident,” he says.

“You do the training, but you never know until you are at the scene, and there were a few senior men who were very impressive, and I took their lead, and eventually got into the swing of things.”

“The crew I was with were very welcoming, and they made you feel part of the crew immediately. It was like being in a club rather than work, and I really enjoyed that.”

After one year, Martin moved to Buckingham Street station, and enjoyed it even more.

“The three years I spent there were probably the happiest three years of my career,” he says. “It was a very old-fashioned station. Every room there had a story attached. But we had a great crew, we were all good friends, and the best part was the characters.

One in particular, Miley Keogh, the senior badge number in the job at the time, was a born storyteller, and would keep us going for hours with stories from his time in DFB.” Martin describes the station as “lively”, and says: “It was a busy three years, but three years I loved.”

PHIBSBORO The Watch moved to the then-brand new Phibsboro station in 1985, which Martin felt had fantastic facilities, but lacked the history and tradition of Buckingham Street. He soon got used to it, however, and ended up staying there for the rest of his career. This was again in no small part due to the crew he worked with.

“We had a very good mix,” he says.

“There were a lot of young, fit men on the crew, such as Brian Campion, Niall Kinsella, John Killeen, but also a couple of senior men such as Johnny McEvoy and Nobby Clarke, who was a brilliant character.

“The district we covered had a great mix that kept things interesting too,” he tells me. “The three places I was SUMMER 66 FIRECALL

Martin overseeing the rescue of some children who got stuck in a derelict building off Blackhall Place in 1982, with FF/P Niall Kinsella climbing the ladder.

“If, like me, you have never been in any type of emergency service before DFB, you never know how you are going to react to an incident” always wary of were Mountjoy Square, North Circular Road and Gardiner Street, because they were nearly all Georgian four-storey over basement buildings, and they could be divided into bedsits with very basic cooking facilities and open fires. We had to go

to a lot of fires in these buildings, and I always had a rule that if we were going to any of these three streets, make sure you have your gear on, because there was a big chance that you would have to deal with something serious straight away.”

RETIRED MEMBERS

Having been so busy and seen so many incidents, I ask Martin which ones he remembers the most.

“I was at a lot of big fires, such as one on Henry Street that involved four shops, the Bachelor’s Walk transport house, Castleforbes, but it’s not always the big ones you remember,” he tells me. “Castleforbes was one of the biggest fires Dublin had seen, but on the same night, we turned out to a fire just around the corner from the station. It was a two-storey building over a basement, fully engulfed in fire, and we managed to save the lives of the two people there. We dd more work at that obscure fire than we did at the one that made all the headlines.”

He also remembers a lunchtime call out to a small fire in a derelict shop on Sarsfield Quay, which he describes as “a one bucket fire” but which involved a close shave with a falling guillotineshaped pane of glass.

“This was a mickey mouse fire,” he says. “It was in daylight hours, an absolute nothing call out, but it made me ensure that no matter the incident, no matter how small, to always be aware that something could happen that you don’t expect.”

With such a variety of call outs and a crew he enjoyed working with immensely, Martin says he was too content to move upwards.

CONTENTMENT “I was happy doing what I was doing,” he tells me, “so I never wanted or went for promotion, and as a matter of fact, as far as I can remember, for 20 years in Phibsboro there wasn’t one member of the crew who went for promotion, which shows you how tight we were as a group. The crew changed personnel over the years, but we were a very tight bunch. It wasn’t that they weren’t capable of it, they were just happy working the job they had. Nobby Clarke was a big part of that. He used to crack us up.

“I worked with some great officers too. Gerry McMahon was my first S/O and I think you always have a special affinity with your first S/O. He wasn’t

Outside Buckingham Street station.

Martin saw a lot of action across the city centre.

afraid to get his hands dirty, and he expected the same from everybody else. Luckily enough, everyone on our crew was a grafter, so we got on very well. D/O Don Jackson was another I really looked up to.”

It’s no surprise to hear that Martin feels that the camaraderie was the best thing about the job.

“You ate and slept around these people,” he says. “Everybody knew what each other’s mortgage was, you didn’t buy a car without talking it over with the crew, you didn’t go on holiday without getting advice on where to go.

The camaraderie at the station and right through the DFB was amazing. It really was a band of brothers.”

SPORT Martin kept himself busy outside the station too, and was involved in several sports groups, including a 5-a-side soccer team based around D Watch

that took part in an annual tournament organised every year by the Galway Fire Service. He is full of praise for the Sports and Social Club as a result of his experience as a member.

“I’m a huge admirer of the DFB Sports and Social Club throughout the years,” he tells me, “those people who put their spare time into organising events. I really appreciate the amount of work that goes into all of the events, and as an umbrella organisation, they do fantastic work for each of the individual clubs and societies.”

In particular, Martin was also heavily involved with the DFB GAA team, playing for several years, as captain for two, and becoming involved with the committee after he hung up his boots.

“We had an exceptional GAA team in the 1980s, with seven of the Dublin team playing for us,” he tells me. “We played in competitions in the senior ranks and it was basically inter-county

FIRECALL SUMMER

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RETIRED MEMBERS

football. We beat the Gardaí in the semi-final in 1988, and they had 12 inter-county players on their team. I was only a bog-standard footballer, but on the Monday night I was playing with Charlie Redmond, Gerry Hargan, Dave Foran, Jim Bissett, Declan Sheehan – all super footballers. For me, I was boxing way above my weight, so it was a big thrill for me.”

He is also keen to mention the five trips the GAA team made to the US. “We had been invited over to play against the NYFD in 2002 and were brought to Ground Zero and then to Station 10,” he tells me. “This was eight months after 9/11 so things were still very raw, but the hospitality they showed us was incredible. One particular person, Tadgh Fallon, was an S/O in North Strand and a brilliant footballer who was involved in a very serious accident. Within a year, he was back and organised the trip to America when we wanted to show solidarity to the NYFD after 9/11 and what they had been through, but the work Tadhg put in for that trip was incredible. I still see him at our ROMEO meetings.”

ROMEO That brings up the inevitable question about the ROMEO Club, of which Martin is a regular attendee.

“It was coined the ROMEO Club by Damien Fynes’ wife, who came up with the acronym Retired Old Men Eating

Martin says his crew were a tight group.

SUMMER 68 FIRECALL

With his crew who were like “a band of brothers.”

out,” he tells me. “I retired early in 2007, after a triple by-pass,” he says, “but going to the pub didn’t have any appeal, so we decided we would meet up for a cup of coffee instead, and it became very successful. There’s about 12 of us who meet up every three months, tell stories, and of course the fires get bugger and the hoses get longer with each telling. It’s a great way of keeping in touch. It’s all retired members and there is a lot of interest, it’s open to anybody who wants to come, it’s not a closed shop, and there is a great bit of banter.”

Reflecting on his career, Martin is also keen to take the opportunity to give a special mention to two people.

“One is Danny Davrin, a SubOfficer with us for a few years who went out of his way to facilitate the crew in the station. His son Danny is in DFB now, but Danny Senior passed away recently and I’d like to pass on my condolences to his family.

“The other is Maureen Clarke, the wife of Nobby Clarke. Maureen also passed away recently. I knew her for 40 years because we all knew each other’s families, and she was a great supporter to the DFB team, and was out at numerous matches with her two daughters. I’d like to pass on my deepest condolences to the Clarke family.”

Having spent a very interesting career with DFB, Martin says his family now takes centre stage in his life. “I have five grandchildren, four girls between the ages of 6 and 10, and they keep me occupied,” he says, “so I don’t have a minute to spare.”

He adds: “COVID has meant I haven’t been able to get away anywhere for a while, but hopefully I will be able to go somewhere soon.

After all of this looking back, that’s one thing to look forward to.”

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BINGE WATCH BINGE WATCH

Catch up on these great series before the emergence from lockdown means sitting at home watching TV all day is no longer an option

Your Honor

One series, Now TV / Amazon Having wowed as Walter White in Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston went on to forge a steady career in films, but he makes a welcome return to the small screen in this drama about a prominent New Orleans judge whose son accidentally causes the death of another teenager.

Tied to the law, he urges his son to report it to the police, until he discovers the dead boy is the son of a local Mafia boss, and instead uses his legal knowledge to try to cover up all of the evidence. Easier said than done, obviously, and as with Breaking Bad, watching becomes more and more tense the deeper Cranston gets himself into a mess that may or may not turn out so well in the end.

THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER One series, Disney Plus

Many Marvel Universe fans may have found the excellent WandaVision just a bit too weird, but this six-part series brings a welcome return to the thrill-a-minute escapades of the Avengers. Half the population of Earth was removed from existence by arch-villain Thanos in Avengers Infinity War, but his defeat meant these people have returned, and now millions have been displaced and face life in refugee camps across the globe. With this backdrop, Falcon, the best ally of the now-departed Captain America, takes centre stage to tackle a new threat from a group determined to create a world without borders, but who use extraordinary and dangerous powers to do so. Aided by the Winter Soldier, who has backstory troubles of his own, this series supplies the fights and explosions of any good superhero movie, but it is also underlined with a thought-provoking theme of what it’s like to stand for and represent a country that doesn’t represent or support your identity. Watch this series to see Marvel grow up.

FRANK OF IRELAND One series, All4 You can tell that the Gleeson Brothers Domhnall and Brian enjoyed making this very watchable sitcom about selfish but ultimately harmless idiot Frank (Brian) and his even stupider best friend Doofus (Domhnall). Set in Malahide and with all the recognisable landmarks in place, it’s a darkly funny series in which aspiring musician Frank tries his best to get through life while making everything worse for everybody else

– his mother who he lives with, his loyal best friend, and his long-suffering ex-girlfriend (played by Sarah Greene). While it’s not the most sophisticated programme on TV, it is crude and silly enough to bring out the laughs, and the guest stars (Brendan Gleeson, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Pom Boyd and Pat Shortt) look to be enjoying it just as much as its creators. If you want childish humour with adult language, look no further.

FIRECALL SUMMER

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BINGE WATCH

Mare of Easttown One series, Now TV / Amazon

ER 15 series, All4 For a bit of 90s nostalgia, this long-running medical drama that brought gritty and uncompromising scenes of surgery gore and emergency room mayhem to your living room is hard to beat. With 331 episodes spanning 15 series, it’s a commitment, but an enjoyable one. Though it tails off after leading man George Clooney (Dr Ross) and then best character Dr Green (played by Anthony Edwards) left, it still packed a punch until it finally wound down when viewer ratings dropped. The best bit about watching from start to end is to note just how many well-known faces cut their teeth in the ER, including Zac Efron, Eva Mendes, Chris Pine, Shia LaBeouf, Lucy Liu, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain… the list goes on. Not nearly as sentimental as Grey’s Anatomy, and far more entertaining than House, it’s well worth going back to.

Critics have been raving about Kate Winslet in this gritty crime thriller set in a small suburban town in Philadelphia, and rightly so. She puts in the performance of a lifetime as Mare Sheehan, a former high school hero and now homicide detective struggling to solve two high-profile cases and the many issues and tragedies in her own personal life that is threatening to spiral out of control. Flawed heroines are commonplace in detective dramas, but Mare takes it several steps further with questionable and sometimes ruthless actions in this atmospheric and uncompromising series.

Taskmaster 11 series, All4

Now in its 11th series and still going strong, the comedy challenge series cooked up by musician Alex Horne and co-hosted by him and Greg Davies is incredibly easy and enjoyable viewing.

With a different cast of mostly comedians and the occasional celebrity facing the sometimesridiculous challenges that test physical and mental agility every series, the energy and enthusiasm is always kept fresh, with former teacher Davies’ withering assessments the highlight of each round. The two series featuring Bob Mortimer are best, but it is worth watching from the start to see how this good idea turned into a great show.

Black Books 3 series All4 / Netflix

THE KILLING 3 series, Amazon / Netflix Much imitated but rarely bettered, this work of Scandi noir brought the crime drama genre in new directions and set the tone for unconventional and troubled female detectives struggling to find their way to the bottom of increasingly murky cases. Sofie Grabol excels as the Faroese woollen jumper-wearing Sarah Lund who is led down several wrong turns to unearth many a red herring, making many mistakes on the way to finding the truth. With each series tackling a crime (the series is called ‘The Crime’ in its native Denmark) on a long, drawn out day to day basis, it expands to bring in the anguish of victims’ families and political repercussions to make this much richer than your average thriller. If you don’t fancy the subtitles, there’s a US remake, but it’s not half as good, so if you have never seen it, now’s the time.

SUMMER 72 FIRECALL

Another series well worth going back a couple of decades for is this well-written BAFTA-winning comedy from Dylan Moran and Arthur Matthews.

Featuring Moran as a bookshop owner who despises people, Bill Bailey as his hapless assistant, and Tamsin Greig as the owner of the shop next door, the sitcom set-up is played out very well with enough laughs to keep you going and a touch of the surreal thrown in. It’s probably the best thing any of these people have been in, so if you haven’t seen it before, or even if you have, it is light and entertaining enough to view all three series over the course of a weekend.

TRAVEL

NORTHERN EXPOSURE Having looked at Leinster getaways, here’s some spots to enjoy some rest and relaxation when you head north.

Culloden, Holywood, Co Down

Castle Leslie Estate, Co Monaghan Nestled on 1,000 acres of undulating Irish countryside, dotted with ancient woodland and glittering lakes, Castle Leslie Estate is one of the last great Irish castle estates still in the hands of its founding family. The Castle offers authentic original interiors and old-style hospitality, while the Lodge is a country house-style boutique hotel with 2 AA Rosette award-winning restaurant. You can take a leisurely stroll around the lake to walk off a delicious dinner, explore the grounds on horseback if the mood takes you, or enjoy any of the many other activities on offer, including clay target shooting, archery, fishing, walking trails, the spa, hot air balloon rides, falconry or horsedrawn carriage rides. Basically, you can live like a lord or lady for a few days in suitable surroundings. Famous guests including WB Yeats, Sir Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger and Winston Churchill can’t all be wrong about the appeal of this place. www.castleleslie.com

Cuan Hotel, Strangford Lough You can’t throw a rock in Northern Ireland without hitting a Game of Thrones setting, and the Cuan Hotel in Strangford Village on the shores of Strangford Lough in Co Down boasts a connection stronger than most. With 21st century luxury in an historic setting, it played host to the fantasy epic’s cast while filming at National Trust property Castle Ward, otherwise known as Winterfell. Unassuming from the front, it changed hands in 2020, with the new owners carrying out an extensive renovation that brings a surprising amount of luxury to what is still a friendly inn setting. The surrounding area offers wonderful walking paths, as well as cycling and horse riding trails. Royal County Down golf course is also nearby if you fancy a round, while you can also take the ferry to the scenic seaside town of Portaferry if the mood takes you. www.thecuan.com

The magnificent Culloden Hotel and Spa is one of the top hotels in Northern Ireland. This former Bishop’s Palace resides in 12 acres of gardens and woodland, overlooking Belfast Lough and the stunning Antrim coastline, and while the peaceful environs will have you thinking you are in another world, it is a mere ten minutes from Belfast city and all it has to offer.

Rooms range from garden to deluxe to estate, but there are also self-catering options available. Guests at the hotel can also enjoy an extensive range of dining and socialising options including afternoon tea in the drawing room, fine dining in the restaurant and fireside drinks in the cosy inn, while the recently renovated spa includes a linear vitality pool with garden views, tylarium (sauna and steam bath combo), steam room and couples-only treatment room.

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TRAVEL

Ardtara Country House, Co Derry

Killeavy Castle, Co Down

Castle Grove, Co Donegal A perfect spot on the shores of Lough Swilly in Donegal, this family-run Georgian house dating from 1665 has its own 250-acre estate with gardens designed by celebrated 18th century landscape gardener Capability Brown.

Its proximity to the Lough means you have the beach at your doorstep while it also serves as a great starting point for trips across the northern Wild Atlantic Way. With only 15 guest bedrooms, it offers peace and quiet (with many guests choosing to take the chance to forego use of the TV bedrooms and disconnect from technology), while the drawing rooms with big open fires, library and antique furniture give this a decidedly cosy but grand atmosphere. The on-site restaurant has also won its fair share of awards in recent years and has made Castle Grove a real culinary destination. www.castlegrove.com SU M M ER 74 FIRECALL

Just a few minutes from Newry is this beautifully restored castle with adjoining modern, luxurious hotel that offers peace and tranquillity in a rural setting.

Surrounded by 350 acres of mixed farm and woodland in County Armagh’s stunning Slieve Gullion region, it’s the ideal place to escape, retreat, relax and unwind. Stays in the Castle, with its grand drawing rooms and antique furnishings (and private bar), are possible for groups, but the modern hotel offers enough opulence to keep you more than happy, and includes fine dining and a cosy spa. If you feel active there are beautiful walks, cycling trails and foraging outings, as well as trips to Killowen Distillery – Ireland’s smallest whiskey, gin and poitin producer. This lowly editor can not recommend this beautiful estate and its fantastic food enough, especially if you opt for whatever seasonal fare is on the menu.

With only nine bedrooms, this 19th century mansion is a perfect place to get away from it all and relax with really good food. Once the home of linen barons, it is now the location of an excellent restaurant.

It’s only 45 minutes from Belfast, Derry and Portrush, the Giant’s Causeway and the stunning Antrim coast, so it’s the perfect base from which to explore. The bedrooms are all in keeping with the Victorian style while offering all mod cons, and have apparently become firm favourites of both Will Ferrell and Bill Murray, although the Ghostbusters star has not yet seen the resident ghost Alice Clarke, wife of the house’s first owner, who is said to roam the halls and offer a friendly smile. www.ardtara.com

Bushmill’s Inn, Co Antrim Set against the backdrop of the Causeway Coast, the boutique Bushmills Inn Hotel and Restaurant offers the perfect base to explore the Giant’s Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, and of course, Bushmills Distillery, as well as many other locations from Game of Thrones. These include Dunluce Castle (House of Greyjoy on the Iron Islands in Game of Thrones), the Dark Hedges (Kingsroad), Portstewart Strand (the coast of Dorne), and Downhill Beach (Dragonstone). Indulge in exquisite cuisine or enjoy a decadent afternoon tea, relax in the traditional Gas Bar and enjoy a restful night’s sleep in a bedroom individually designed with unique character and charm. Roaring peat fires inside and nooks and crannies waiting to be explored, the Inn epitomises the true spirit of Irish hospitality. www.bushmillsinn.com

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

INTERNATIONAL NEWS Emergency Services News From Around the Globe.

DENMARK 1990 FERRY FIRE INVESTIGATION Danish MPs have agreed to set up an independent task force to investigate a deadly ferry fire in 1990 that claimed the lives of 159 people. Norwegian police initially believed the fire on the Scandinavian Star, considered one of Scandinavia’s worst peacetime maritime disasters, was arson, but later ruled out the main suspect, a truck driver with three previous convictions for arson. Denmark’s Justice Minister Nick Haekkerup said a task force would now focus on the ship’s owner and the vessel’s insurance. The ship had been heading from Oslo to Frederikshavn when at 2am a fire was spotted and crew were alerted. Insufficient fire doors meant the blaze and thick smoke spread across the ship. Several investigations of the incident have taken place, but the true cause of the disaster remains unsolved, although earlier reports had highlighted the new route and crew, inadequate fire alarms, a lack of safety training, and lack of safety equipment.

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USA COLORADO TO RECRUIT FIREFIGHTER INMATES The Governor of Colorado has signed into law a bill that encourages the hiring of former inmate firefighters to give them a bridge to permanent employment. Dozens of people in the state’s prisons who fight wildfires are largely locked out of the firefighting sector upon release, but the new law encourages the Division of Fire Prevention and Control to show them hiring preference. The plan, which includes re-education and post-release mentorship, has been trialled on 75 men convicted of non-violent offences and eligible for parole within three years. Hundreds of inmates have applied, in part because they receive one day off their sentence for every day in the field, and earn $6 per day – a relatively large figure compared to wages for other jobs in prison.

UK FIRE CREW CUTS AT NUCLEAR PLANT Proposals to cut fire crews at the Faslane and Coulport nuclear submarine bases have been described as “an accident waiting to happen” by Unite, the trade union representing workers at the bases. Private company Capita provides fire response services to the Ministry of Defence, and plans to reduce numbers on the specialist fire safety crew at the HM Naval Bases. Unite said the cuts will “seriously impair the abilities of the onsite fire crews to do their jobs properly” and is “effectively jeopardising the safety response capabilities at the nuclear naval bases as part of a cost-saving exercise”.

They also said promises of investment in new technology to reduce fire risk have not been met, with no new vehicles or training provided.

A company spokesman refuted these claims and said a thorough review in consultation with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has been carried out, which was approved by the MoD.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

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CHINA INVESTIGATION INTO SHOPPING MALL EXPLOSION Beijing Fire Station has investigated the cause of a fire in a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery connected to a rooftop solar panel installation at a shopping mall that resulted in an explosion that killed two firefighters, injured one other, and left another still missing. Some 235 firefighters with 47 fire trucks were dispatched from a total of 15 stations city-wide to respond to the fire at the large Jimei Home Dahongmen store in the Chinese capital in April, when an explosion occurred on the roof of one side of the building. The investigation has determined that the accident was probably not caused by the original quality of the batteries, and while it noted that there were issues with the overloading input to them, highlighted the probability that the sudden explosion was caused by environmental wear and tear destroying the insulation of the battery by dust and sand accumulations.

POLAND FIRE AT MASSIVE COALMINE Thirteen firefighting crews were deployed to a blaze at the country’s largest brown coal mine at Belchatow in May, with huge clouds of black smoke covering the area that includes Poland’s largest lignite power plant. State energy group PGE that runs the mine and neighbouring power plant said the fire was caused by the ignition of brown coal that was being conveyed to the power plant’s Unit 14 reactor. This reactor was the only one at the plant that remained active after ten other units suffered an automated outage earlier in the week caused by a malfunction at a nearby power switch. The fire came a day after a European Union court ordered Poland to immediately halt operations at another lignite mine in Turow, on the Czech and German border, that also belongs to PGE, due to environmental damage.

INDIA HOSPITAL TRAGEDIES AMIDST COVID-19 SURGE A fire in a COVID-19 hospital ward in Gujarat in western India killed 18 people including two healthcare workers in May, while another 31 patients were rescued. The cause of the fire is still being investigated but is believed to have been a result of a short circuit. The fire started around midnight in the intensive care ward of the Patel Welfare Hospital, a designated COVID-19 facility, in Bharuch city, 185 km south of the state's main commercial city, Ahmedabad. The incident came as India grappled with global records for new coronavirus cases. It follows earlier fires at an intensive care unit on the outskirts of Mumbai in April that saw 13 patients die, and an earlier incident at another public hospital in Mumbai where 22 patients died when oxygen supplies ran out due to a leaking tank.

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MARIANA ISLANDS FIREFIGHTERS SACKED FOR VACCINE REFUSAL SUMMER 76 FIRECALL

Nine firefighters in the US-owned territory of the Mariana Islands archipelago in the western Pacific have lost their jobs after they refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Originally, 23 firefighters in the territory near Iwo Jima stated that they did not want to receive the vaccination, and allegedly threatened to take legal action against the Government, citing concerns about side effects, but most withdrew their opposition when faced with losing their job. “We believe that these vaccines are still in the test stage, and we do not know what effects it could have in five or ten years,” said firefighter Shawn Delos as he protested outside the tiny island’s parliament building in May.

BOOKSHELF

BOOK REVIEW

THIS SEASON’S BEST READS

REMEMBERINGS

S

inead O’Connor has been nothing if not outspoken over the years, and this eagerly awaited memoir from the Dublin singer-songwriter is true to form. Hers has been a colourful if sometimes turbulent life, and here we see her recall her childhood in a troubled family, her first ventures into music, her star rising as she released acclaimed albums The Lion and the Cobra and I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (featuring Nothing Compares to U), and the many controversies that surrounded her as she became a well-known presence on both sides of the Atlantic.

Packed with humour and anger, both of which O’Connor has in spades, the many anecdotes about her life and experiences in the music industry are fascinating to read, not just for what they were (ripping up a picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live, refusing to perform in the US if their national anthem was played first, her numerous attacks on the Catholic Church, declaring non-Muslims to be disgusting after her conversion to Islam, and her spats with Prince, Madonna and Miley Cyrus to name a few) but also because within these stories there are contradictions: these are the author’s ‘rememberings’ rather than stated fact or official accounts.

Controversy is never far away, as is fitting for a person who has over the years been extremely outspoken about sensitive issues, sometimes with bravery, but sometimes with a confusion she would later admit to.

It is a forthright memoir in which O’Connor gives her hard-won insights into what it was like to rise from the Dublin music scene to become a global sensation, how stardom affected her, her four marriages and their breakdowns, how becoming a mother gave her a new outlook on life, and her compulsion to call out hypocrisies wherever she finds them.

O’Connor herself has openly stated that her past is painful to her, so in telling her story she exhibits a great deal of bravery, but within her memoirs lies the feeling that this is not cathartic – so much so that she abandoned publicity for the book after a few weeks. Whether you are a fan of her music or not - and she did produce some incredibly good music - this is an important look at the author’s side of the story, and while her recollections and anecdotes may not always fit with established fact, it is a fascinating and insightful look into a troubled but gifted life as a singer, actor, activist and protester.

Author:

SINEAD O’CONNOR Publisher:

SANDYCOVE

Available:

EASONS, HODGES & FIGGIS, DUBRAY BOOKS Price:

€18.99

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BOOK REVIEW

THE PERFECT LIE

Author:

JO SPAIN

Publisher:

HACHETTE

Available:

EASONS, HODGES & FIGGIS, DUBRAY BOOKS Price:

€13.99

THE BEST CATHOLICS IN THE WORLD

ST STEPHEN’S GREEN

Author:

Author:

Publisher:

Publisher:

Available:

Available:

Price:

Price:

DEREK SCALLY SANDYCOVE EASONS €16.99

Irish Times Berlin correspondent Derek Scally embarked on a three-year journey to bring this entertaining book to fruition, travelling across Ireland and Europe in an attempt to explain with wit and compassion the hold the Church has had on the Irish population, and where we are as a nation now that hold has begun to crumble. Comparing Irish Catholicism to East German Communism, he finds that people here are much more reticent to open up about their connection to the Church. Visiting shrines, masses and seminaries, he casts an insightful eye over conversations with priests, historians, psychologists, those who have left the Church and those affected by its wrongdoings, to report on the difficult questions and uneasy relationship our society now has with the Catholic Church. An important and intriguing read.

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Former journalist and political advisor Jo Spain has achieved critical and commercial success in Ireland and internationally with her crime novels featuring Detective Inspector Tom Reynolds, but she has written some very compelling standalone thrillers and her latest work is one of her best. Pulling you in from the start, it tells the story of a woman who moves to Long Island and seems to be enjoying a perfect life until her policeman husband suddenly and inexplicably jumps to his death from their apartment window. Some 18 months later she is standing trial for his murder, but in that time has discovered some shocking truths about him, and every detail of his life and her coming to stand accused is revealed with the skill of a master of suspense. With more twists than a Chubby Checker setlist, this is another great page-turner from one of the best crime writers working today.

FRANK HOPKINS MERCIER PRESS EASONS €14.99

Like a guided tour around Dublin city centre’s much-loved park, this very entertaining book from local historian Frank Hopkins dives into the more unusual events from St Stephen’s Green’s history to reveal darker tales and facts about the area.

Those who enjoy a casual stroll in these peaceful surroundings might be unnerved by the number executions that took place here and in the adjoining streets up to 1784, and Hopkins casually shares the details if he were walking alongside you, pointing out sites of interest. Also detailed are the many notable and sometimes unusual events that took place here, from riots and duels to races between a horse and a man, and the many interesting characters who populated the streets. A great read to dip in and out of, or read from cover to cover.

TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGICAL TOOLS THE LATEST INNOVATIONS FOR THE WORLD’S EMERGENCY SERVICES.

AI ON WILDFIRE The Aspen Fire Protection District in Colorado is piloting new artificial intelligence technology to monitor wildfire risks in the Rocky Mountains region this summer. The system uses specialised cameras placed at strategic vantage points to monitor the skyline, coupled with AI and intuitive software from US tech company Pano AI, to detect, locate and communicate wildfire threats almost instantly. The cameras stationed on communication towers continuously rotate to capture 360-degree views of an area up to a 15-mile radius, with the AI software processing that imagery in real time to detect smoke, evaluate its danger level, and alert dispatchers or the appropriate agencies through built-in communication tools. When multiple cameras capture images of the same smoke wisps, the software can use triangulation to pinpoint the location. “This will put real-time images in the hands of first responders and emergency personnel, all with the goals of detecting flare-ups earlier and enabling a faster response before they can become large infernos,” a spokesperson for Pano AI says. Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley in the Rockies have seen an increase in wildfires in recent years, and the forecasts show the area is set for prolonged periods of threat from fire in this heavily-forested region. “Historically, wildfire seasons in Colorado were a fourmonth period of time,” director of Colorado Fire Prevention and Control, Mike Morgan, told local media in June. “Since the 1970s, our fire seasons have expanded and they are more than 78 days longer. We’re having fire years, not fire seasons anymore.”

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TECHNOLOGY

THROWAWAY ROBOT

RADIATION DETECTOR A new low-profile radiation detecting backpack has been launched that will allow wearers in the emergency services and security organisations to detect and track radiation threats discreetly at mass gatherings or public events. The identifFINDER R700 Backpack Radiation Detector from Teledyne Technologies is an advanced mobile system with broad area radiation monitoring capabilities that offers increased sensitivity and speed in identifying radioactive threats using advanced spectroscopic algorithms and detection techniques. It can be used either as a stationary device or as a mobile backpack that enables the wearer to travel through an area without the need for alarminducing apparatus, and can be monitored remotely via a mobile phone app. The US Department of Homeland Security’s Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction Office has already put in an order worth $6.5million for the backpack radiation detectors as part of its mission to detect and prevent acts of terrorism in public places, but the company also hopes the system can be applied by emergency service personnel. “This gives public safety agencies a powerful new tool with unmatched capabilities to screen large areas for radiation quickly,” says Dr David Cullen, vice-president for Detection Systems at Teledyne. “With its connected mobile app and low profile, radiation threats can be detected, identified and tracked discreetly at mass gatherings, transportation hubs or public events.” The company also states that coupled with other products such as their Radionuclide Identification Devices or Spectroscopic Personal Radiation Detectors, organisations can have a comprehensive person-borne radiation screening system that can provide personal protection, point detection and wide-area screening.

A new throwable robot that weights just one pound has been developed by tech innovators Company Six (CO6), designed to allow first responders to view hazardous situations or inaccessible areas, without the heavy costs that come with traditional robotic device cameras. The ReadySight robot is due to be available later this year, and streams video to users through an app. It offers autonomous and semiautonomous operations and two-way audio communication, with no costs for the machine itself – charges only come in for the video app software. “What we’ve built is unlike any tool out there, at a fraction of the price, to the point that they can be expendable, if necessary,” says CO6 CEO Jim Booth. “We want to put our robots in the hands of the many, not the few. We want our users to have all the information possible before they put themselves in harm’s way.”

CONTACT TRACING TOOL The New England College of Optometry in Boston has been using an innovative technique for accurate contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling in-person education to continue. With Massachusetts put in lockdown for extended periods, the college has introduced a wearable Bluetooth-enabled device called Contact Harald that all students, staff and visitors have to wear at all times on the campus. Each person has been given the Bluetooth badge that does not capture information such as a person’s location, but does provide information about the proximity to other Contact Harald badges, and thus, other people. This means that if a positive COVID-19 case occurs, a person can upload this information to a cloud-based database, enabling contact tracers to identify which badge holders have been within six feet of the person for 15 minutes or more on certain days within the window of infection, and alert them that they need to quarantine.

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INSURING

IRELAND

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19/08/2021 23/02/2021 12:23 06/10/2016 14:32 17:24

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Don’t use a phone in the immediate area of the leak, use a neighbour’s or call from outside.

If you can’t get through, call 999 or 112. In the interests of public safety all emergency calls are recorded.

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