Firecall Summer / Autumn 2017

SUMMER / AUTUMN 2017

FIRECALL OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF DUBLIN FIRE, AMBULANCE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES

SIMULATED TERROR DFB PREPARES FOR MASS CASUALTIES IN DUBLIN Track Success EITHNE SCULLY WINS BIG IN LA

THE FUTURE IS ELECTRIC DFB TRAINS FOR EVS

A Lens on Life GREG MATTHEWS ON STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

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DUBLIN FIRE RESCUE EMERGENCY AMBULANCE SERVICE

PROTECTING THE CITY AND COUNTY SINCE 1862

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CONTENTS

04

EDITOR’S 05 LETTER FOREWORD

23

TOP OF THE TABLE

Dublin Fire Brigade’s football team are the Civil Service League and Cup champions for 2017.

25 TEE-TIME

Ray Campion looks back at the 2017 All-Ireland Fire Services Golf Championships.

10

Mark Toner is back with advice on improving your Irish vocabulary.

BATTLE OF THE BOYS 14 IN BLUE The annual Frank O’Farrell Cup was another successful day for its organisers.

CYCLING FOR CHARITY

Dublin Fire Brigade’s cycling club raised thousands of euro for Suicide or Survive.

We take a look at DFB’s partnership with the Irish Blood Transfusion Service.

47

TRACK SUCCESS

Eithne Scully claimed an impressive medal haul at the 2017 World Police & Fire Games in Los Angeles.

DFB IN BRIEF MAHOGANY STANDPIPE

EVERY DROP COUNTS

29 FAMILY FUN

Photos from the Sports and Social Club family fun day in August.

35 OPEN TO THE

50

STATION PROFILE Station Officer James Bissett brought Firecall for a tour of B watch Donnybrook.

COMMUNITY

Kilbarrack played host to Dublin Fire Brigade’s latest open day.

38 ADAYBIRDIE-FUL IN BRAY

Conor Forrest reports from the Golf Society’s annual Captain’s Day.

RETIRED MEMBERS

Conor Forrest caught up with retired firefighter Rory Mooney.

A TALL ORDER

D/O John Rush spoke to Conor Forrest about the brigade’s new hydraulic platform.

CONTENTS FIRECALL SUMMER / AUTUMN

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CONTENTS

8O

Syria to SWORDS

Defence Forces medical officer Joanne Doyle spent a year with Dublin Fire Brigade as part of her postgraduate advanced paramedic internship.

MASS CASUALTIES ON THE LUAS TRAINING

What exactly is involved in training paramedic recruits? We paid a visit to the OBI to discover more.

ELECTRIC FUTURE 85 Dublin Fire Brigade is training recruits to deal with incidents involving electric vehicles.

88

HIGH STANDARDS IN SAFETY

Third Officer John Guilfoyle outlines the process by which DFB attained OHSAS 18001:2007 certification.

72 A LENS ON LIFE Retired Station Officer Greg Matthews discusses his career in the brigade and his passion for street photography.

BOOKSHELF

We’ve got a round-up of top books for the winter months ahead, including a gritty and revealing memoir by former prison officer John Cuffe.

102 MOTORING

Dublin Fire Brigade held its largest ever mass casualty training exercise in July.

69 FRONTLINE

100

110

Heroes Among

THE RUBBLE Syria Civil Defence have given their time, energy and lives to protecting and rescuing victims of the civil war

91 HISTORY IN

CONTEXT

Historian Las Fallon looks back at the Custom House conference held in May.

97

TECHNOLOGY

ON PARADE

76

Photos from the recent Frontline Emergency and Security Services Eire Forum (FESSEF) parade.

INTERNATIONAL

NEWS

Emergency services news from around the globe.

115

CONTENTS SUMMER / AUTUMN 02 FIRECALL

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INSURING

IRELAND

At IPB Insurance, we are proud to be Ireland’s only indigenous mutual insurer, owned by, and managed on behalf of our Local Authority and ETB Members.

From the Cliffs of Moher to the Spire in Dublin, we have been protecting our Members and their communities nationwide for over 90 years.

working to make a difference | www.ipb.ie IPB Insurance CLG, trading as IPB Insurance, is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

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For business in the UK, IPB Insurance is authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority.

18/10/2017 08:59 06/10/2016 09:00 17:24

EDITOR’S LETTER

letter from the

Editor: Conor Forrest Consulting Editor: Dan Fynes Contributors: Mark Toner, Ray Campion, John Guilfoyle, Las Fallon Editorial and Production Manager: Mary Connaughton

:

Creative Director Jane Matthews

Assistant Designer: James Moore Cover credit: John Keogh Photography: Dublin Fire Brigade, Trevor Hunt, Ray McMonagle, Conor Forrest, iStock, Louise O’Farrell, Ray Campion, Paul McGurrell, Noel Cunningham, Eithne Scully, John Keogh, Greg Matthews, Rory Mooney, Emergency One, Richard Hunter, Renault Group, Las Fallon, The Collins Press, Skoda, Volvo, Mayday Rescue, Zipline, Smokey Paws, FLIR, Northern Star, Qwake Technologies, Netflix Sales Director: Paul Clemenson Production Executive: Claire Kiernan Publisher: Chesterfox Ltd, T/A Firecall Magazine, P.O. Box 6766, Dublin 2.

Tel: (01) 432 2200; Fax: (01) 672 7100 Managing Director: Gerry Tynan Chairman: Diarmaid Lennon Distribution by: Magazine Mailing Ashville Media Group Old Stone Building, Blackhall Green, Dublin 7 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 ©2017 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.

EDITOR ear readers, Welcome to our combined summer/autumn issue of Firecall magazine. As always we’ve got a packed issue for you, from DFB’s exploits in the Civil Service Football League to the brigade’s latest cohort of platform instructors.

In our station profile, I travelled out to B watch Donnybrook to meet S/O James Bissett and his crew, discovering more about their wide range of responsibilities. I also met retired firefighter Rory Mooney, who filled me in on an interesting career spanning some three decades, while Greg Matthews spoke about his passion for street photography.

Elsewhere, the largest mass casualty exercise the brigade has ever run took place in July, with trainee paramedics joining members of An Garda Síochána and the Civil Defence in responding to a simulated large-scale terrorist attack along the Luas line between Broadstone and Cabra. We speak to co-organisers A/SOFF Karl Kendellen and A/S/O Derek Rooney to learn more about what goes into the organisation of such a comprehensive training exercise.

Looking beyond Ireland’s borders, the Syrian Civil Defence were recognised for their trojan live-saving efforts in the war-torn country at the recent Tipperary International Peace Award ceremony. I spoke with Paul Murphy, a former member of the Defence Forces and a former commander with the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service, who has spent the last three years training the White Helmets with Mayday Rescue.

We also catch up with the organiser of the annual Frank O’Farrell Cup, learn more about DFB’s work with the Irish Blood Transfusion Service, and bring you the latest technology developments for fire and ambulance services around the globe.

Finally, I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Bevin Herbert, who recently left Dublin Fire Brigade after 16 years, for all of her valuable help, advice and input into the magazine. We wish her the best of luck in her future endeavours.

Enjoy the read,

Conor Forrest

EDITOR’S PICKS

p A LENS ON LIFE

Retired station officer Greg Matthews on his career and passion for street photography.

110 HEROES AMONG THE RUBBLE Charting the fortunes of Syria Civil Defence.

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

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FOREWORD

Honorary Secretary’s

FOREWORD elcome readers to our summer/autumn issue of Firecall, covering a busy few months for Dublin Fire Brigade and your Sports and Social Club. In August we elected Declan Rice as Chairman, who now officially replaces Ray Murray, a great ambassador for the Club and a member of the executive committee for the last 26 years. We also welcomed some firsttime reps including, for the first time in the history of the Club, a rep from the retained stations. In addition, I’d like to pay tribute to Bevin Herbert, who has recently moved on from Dublin Fire Brigade, for her fantastic input into the Sports and Social Club for many years, and for her invaluable work and advice as consulting editor of Firecall for the last three years.

We’ve got plenty for you to sink your teeth into in this issue, including Mark Toner’s latest Irish column to aid your cúpla focail, Eithne Scully’s medal haul at the 2017 World Police and Fire Games (WPFG), a look back at the All-Ireland Golf Championships at the beginning of September, and the latest DFB open day.

We’ve also got interviews with Defence Forces AP Joanne Doyle, who spent a year on the job with DFB, and firefighter and former motor industry executive Richard Hunter who outlines the various differences in dealing with an incident involving an electric vehicle.

On a more sombre note, our condolences to the family and colleagues of Ray McCooey, who unexpectedly passed away recently. Ray was very active within Dublin Fire Brigade, participated in every event possible, and was proudly associated with the colour party. He will be sorely missed by all.

Finally, a happy birthday to the Sports and Social Club, which celebrates its 45th anniversary this autumn. Thanks to all of those hard-working individuals who have given of their time and skills to develop the Club to where it is today – our aim is to keep striving for continued growth and excellence in all that we do. One of our latest steps is the introduction of the DFBSSC website, which will run in tandem with the Firecall website and offer an online version of Firecall for all to peruse, in addition to any other relevant information regarding the Club or anything else our members might require. We look forward with great excitement to the coming years.

Enjoy the read,

Dan Fynes

DAN FYNES

The annual children’s Christmas party will take place on Sunday December 10th in the Clarion Hotel Liffey Valley from 13:00 to 17:30.

We are looking to issue new ID cards to all DFBSSC members.

If you wish to receive a new ID card please send a current photo (passport type headshot) on neutral/white background, along with your name, pay no. and watch to IDcards@dfbssc.ie.

SUMMER / AUTUMN 2017

FIRECALL OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF DUBLIN FIRE, AMBULANCE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES

SIMULATED TERROR DFB PREPARES FOR MASS CASUALTIES IN DUBLIN Track Success EITHNE SCULLY WINS BIG IN LA

THE FUTURE IS ELECTRIC DFB TRAINS FOR EVS

A Lens on Life GREG MATTHEWS ON STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

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FIRECALL SUMMER / AUTUMN

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“We’ll be our own lifesavers.

We’ll get the flu vaccine.”

The flu vaccine is a lifesaver for older people and those with long term health conditions.

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COMMERCIAL FEATURE

SEASONAL FLU VACCINE As we head toward the autumn and winter months, the HSE is calling on people to protect themselves again influenza by getting the seasonal flu vaccine.

VACCINATION Each year the seasonal (annual) flu vaccine contains three common flu virus strains. The flu virus changes each year — this is why a new flu vaccine has to be given each year. The best way to prevent flu is to get the flu vaccine. The vaccine is recommended for: • Persons aged 65 and older • Those aged 6 months and older with a long term health condition such as chronic medical illness requiring

regular follow up including chronic cardiovascular, respiratory, hepatic, and neurological disease, diabetes mellitus and haemoglobinopathies • Immunosuppression due to illness or treatment, including all cancer patients • Down syndrome • Morbid obesity i.e. body mass index over 40 • Children with moderate to severe neurodevelopmental disorders • Children on long term aspirin therapy (risk of Reye’s syndrome) • Pregnant women (vaccine can be given at any stage of pregnancy) • Residents of nursing homes and other long stay institutions • Carers and healthcare workers Vaccination should ideally be undertaken in late September or October each year. Flu vaccines have been used for more than 60 years worldwide and are very safe. Flu vaccine contains killed or inactivated viruses and therefore cannot cause flu. It does, however, take 10-14 days for the vaccine to start protecting you against flu.

The vaccine and consultation are free to those within the recommended groups who have a medical card or GP visit card. GPs charge a consultation fee for seasonal flu vaccine to those who do not have one of those cards. More information is available from your GP, public health nurse or pharmacist.

Influenza vaccine remains the best protection against influenza and is recommended by all major expert bodies including the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the National Immunisation Advisory Committee of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. For further details about flu vaccination, along with answers to any questions you may have about flu, visit www.immunisation.ie.

PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINE

I

nfluenza (flu) is a highly infectious acute respiratory illness caused by the flu virus. Flu affects people of all ages, with outbreaks occurring almost every year. Flu symptoms come on suddenly with a fever, muscle aches, headache and fatigue. This is different from a cold which is a much less severe illness compared to flu. A cold usually starts gradually with a sore throat and a blocked or runny nose. Symptoms of a cold are generally mild compared to flu.

In some instances, flu can be severe and can cause serious illness and death.

Serious breathing complications can develop, including pneumonia and bronchitis, to which older people and those with certain chronic medical conditions are particularly susceptible.

Data from the 2016/2017 influenza season shows that, nationally, 1,394 cases of flu were hospitalised and 50 were admitted to ICU. Those aged 65 and older, children under four years of age and those with long term medical conditions and pregnant women are at particular risk.

If you are aged 65 or older or have a long term medical condition, you should also ask your doctor about the pneumococcal vaccine, which protects against pneumonia, if you have not previously received it. You can get the flu vaccine at the same time as your pneumococcal vaccine.

FIRECALL SUMMER / AUTUMN

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DFB IN BRIEF

DFB

Looking back at Dublin Fire Brigade news and events in recent weeks and months.

Turntable ladder exercise on Henry Street.

A crew from No. 9 attending a derelict house fire in Charlie District.

Our former head of communications, Bevin Herbert, has moved to a new role with Dublin City Council after 16 years with DFB. Best of luck!

Family, friends and colleagues are mourning the unexpected passing of our FF/P Ray McCooey. Our hearts and sympathies go out to his family and friends.

Ireland’s emergency services marched through Dublin for the annual FESSEF parade.

DFB is proud to receive OHSAS 18001:2007 from the National Standards Authority of Ireland – recognised worldwide as the highest standard for occupational health and safety.

On-station training in Dolphin’s Barn Fire Station on the use of the LUCAS 2 mechanical CPR device.

DFB challenged the FA Ireland Irish amputee team in the OBI, not only in a game of football, but some serious rescue drills!

SUMMER / AUTUMN 08 FIRECALL

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DFB IN BRIEF The annual family fun day in the OBI was a great day out.

Our student paramedics before the start of their exams. Course director A/S/O Creevey was presented with the traditional class plaque.

Farewell to Third Officer Gerry Stanley, Brigade Training Officer at the OBI, following 34 years of service.

Congratulations to our two new ‘Heavy’ drivers who passed their C licence test. A specialised blue lights course awaits.

Final preparations for the CrossFit competition in full fire PPE at Dublin City University, where they raised over €1,000 for Barretstown.

Big homecoming celebrations for FF/AP Eithne Scully with her haul of five gold, one silver and one bronze medal from the World Police & Fire Games.

FF/P Andy O’Connor on his last night after 31 years’ service, the majority in Dolphin’s Barn.

After 30 years of service, FF/P Tony Lowe (back row, t-shirt), badge No. 55, has stood on his last parade on A watch Phibsboro.

Firefighters responding to a large fire in Inchicore, requiring the use of breathing apparatus.

Thanks to Coast Guard R116 crew for their helicopter operations training and winching our DFB marine emergency response students.

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .eps

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .eps

@DubFireBrigade Nine station officers have completed training in Critical Incident Stress Management.

FIRECALL SUMMER / AUTUMN

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CÚPLA FOCAL

Mahogany

STANDPIPE Mark Toner is back with some advice on how you can increase your Irish vocabulary.

Welcome back to the second Irish language piece in Firecall.

In particular, welcome and congratulations to all our new recruit classes, our recently qualified paramedics and advanced paramedics, and our recently promoted sub-officers.

Emergency services have been at the heart of numerous changes locally, nationally and internationally since our last edition, in particular with events like the Grenfell disaster and the terrorist attacks in Britain, France and Spain. One of the saddest events, however, occurred in March last when rescue helicopter R116 crashed off the Mayo coast. During the hundreds of news reports that followed I noticed one of the most poignant pieces, written as Gaeilge, that I have seen for quite some time; “Ní fhágfaidh muid thú, Níl tú leat fhéin, Tá cúnamh ar an mbealach, Fan dílis.” There is strength in unity, however, and life carries on, but maybe we can take a minute to think of the crew of R116, their families, colleagues and the wider emergency service community.

Going back to our last piece, how did you get on? Was it too hard? Did you try any of the learning resources we mentioned?

How much do you remember? If you didn’t even attempt to read it, you’re not alone. Not to worry. In this issue we’ve included a small quiz at the end to show you that you know far more Gaeilge than you think. Try it! You’ll be surprised at how much you know.

With children returning to school, maybe this is the right time to improve your Irish. There are plenty of resources out there, including online courses with the likes of Gaelcultúr and Conradh na Gaeilge and various apps and online dictionaries. The only excuses you have are the ones you give yourself!

‘A dead language? Why should I use it? No point in learning it’, I hear you say. The latest census figures, national demand for places in gaelscoileanna, millions of registered users on apps such as Duolingo for the Irish language, pop-up gaeltachts, and even lists of pubs in the city where you can get Gaeilge and a pint might prove you wrong. Even social media pages like Memes na Gaeilge are doing their best to try and inject a bit of craic and humour back into learning our language again. So let’s get started!

F

áilte romhaibh ar ais chuig an dara halt Gaeilge i Firecall.

Thug an teagarthóir cuireadh ar ais dom, b’fheidir go bhfuil mé ag déanamh rud éigin ceart! Caithfidh mé fáilte mhór a thabhairt do na buíonta earcaigh nua atá inar measc ón am seo caite a bhí mé ag scríobh. Caithfidh mé comhghairdeas a dhéanamh lenár n-oifigigh nua freisin, ar éirigh leo san ardú céime le gairid. Chomh maith leis na paraimhíochaineoirí agus leis na hard-paraimhíochaineoirí nua.

Comhghairdeas leo go léir.

I measc na hathruithe eile a tharla ar fud an domhain ón eagrán seo caite, bhí na seirbhísí eigeandála lárnach sa chuid is mó díobh, le heachtraí cosúil leis an tubaiste Grenfell agus na hionsaithe sceimhlitheoireachta sa Bhreatain, sa Fhrainc agus sa Spáinn. Tharla ceann den na heachtraí is brónaí i mo thuairimse, sa tír seo i mí an Mhárta seo caite, nuair a bhí an héileacaptar tarrthála R116 i dtuairt amach ó chósta Mhaigh Eo. Nuair a bhí mé ag tabhairt aire do na céadta tuairiscí faoin tubaiste bhrónach sin, tháinig mé ar cheann de na píosaí Gaeilge is coscraí a chuala mé le fada anuas;

“Ní fhágfaidh muid thú Níl tú leat fhéin Tá cúnamh ar an mbealach Fan dílis.”

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CÚPLA FOCAL

EAGARTHÓIR = Editor

TUAIRISCÍ = Reports

BREIS = Enough/More than

BUÍON EARCACH = Recruit class

IS COSCRACH = Most poignant

EAGRAÍOCHTAÍ =

(singular)

NÍ FHÁGFAIDH MUID THÚ, NÍL

Organisations

BUÍONTA EARCACH = Recruit

TÚ LEAT FHÉÍN, TÁ CÚNAMH AR

LEITHSCÉAL(TA) =

classes (plural)

AN MBEALACH, FAN DÍLIS = We

Excuse(s)

COMHGHAIRDEAS =

won’t leave you, you are not alone,

MARBH = Dead

Congratulations

help is on the way, stay faithful.

ARDÚ CÉIME = Promotions

TEAGHLAIGH = Families

PARAIMHÍOCHAINEOIR =

COMHGHLEACAITHE =

Paramedic

Colleagues

ARDPARAIMHÍOCHAINEOIR =

GO MAIRIDÍS BEO = That others

Advanced paramedics

might live

ATHRUITHE = Changes

TACAÍOCHT = Support

EAGRÁN = Edition

AR SCÁTH A CHÉILE A

Emergency services EACHTRAÍ = Events

MHAIREANN NA DAOINE = (Proverb) No man is an island NÁ BÍ BUARTHA FAOI =

LAGHDÚ = Decrease IS FIÚ SMAOINEAMH AR AN ÉILEAMH = Consider ÉILEAMH AR = In demand CLÁRAITHE = Registered FÓGRAÍOCHT = Advertisement GREANNMHAR = Funny SPRAOI = Fun

Don’t worry

CUAIRT = Visit

CEAP = (Verb) To think

DÍOMÁ = Disappointment

NÍOS MINICE = More often

ADMHÁIL = Admit

Terrorist attacks

TRÁTH NA GCEIST = Quiz

SPREAGADH = Encourage

I MO THUAIRIMSE = In my opinion

COITIANTA = Common

TEAGMHÁIL = Contact

TARRTHÁLA = Rescue

AG FILLEADH = Returning

TUAIRT = Collision/Crash

A FHEABHSÚ = To develop

ÁR DTEANGA, DO ROGHA = Our language, your choice.

TUBAISTE = Disaster IONSAITHE SCEIMHLITHEOIREACHTA =

FOCLÓIRÍN (GLOSSARY)

SEIRBHÍSÍ EIGEANDÁLA =

DAONÁIREAMH = Census

FIRECALL SUMMER / AUTUMN

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CÚPLA FOCAL

Tributes have been paid to the crew of Coast Guard Rescue 116. Photo: Greg Clarke/Flickr (CC BY 2.0).

TRÁTH NA GCEIST (QUIZ) 1. Gluaisteán 2. Guthán/teileafón 3. Idirlíon 4. Nuacht 5. Maidin Mhaith 6. Obair 7. Briogáid Dóiteáin 8. Deoch 9. Leithreas 10. Báisteach

Tógaigí sos beag chun smaoineamh ar fhoireann R116, ar a dteaghlaigh agus ar a comhghleacaithe uilig. Go mairidís beo! Leanann an saol ar aghaidh, áfach, agus ba chóir dúinn tacaíocht is cúnamh a thabhairt dár gcomhghleacaithe sna seirbhísí éigeandála eile, ní amháin sa tír seo ach thar lár fosta. Mar a deirtear, ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine.

Maidir leis an talt deirineach, conas ar éirigh libh. An raibh sé ródhian?

An raibh sibh in ann na focail uilig a thuiscint? Ar bhain sibh triail as na hacmhainní agus as na suíomhanna idirlín a rinne mé cuir síos orthu. Cé mhéad ar chuimhin libh? Bhuail mé le roinnt mhaith daoine a rinne iarracht chun an t-alt a léamh. Dúirt duine nó beirt gur cheap siad nach mbeadh siad in ann é thuiscint agus mar sin nach ndearna siad iarracht ar bith an t-alt a léamh. Ná bígí buartha faoi.

Tá smaoineamh nua agam chun a léiriú díobh go bhfuil níos mó Gaeilge agaibh ná mar a cheapann sibh.

Ceapaim go bhfuil eagla ar dhaoine a gcuid píosaí beaga Gaeilge a úsáid níos minice. Chun seo a thaispeáint díobh, tá tráth na gceist ag bun an leathanaigh le deich bhfocal coitianta.

Bain triail as – tuigeann tú níos mó ná mar a cheapann tú.

Leis na páistí ag filleadh ar ais ar scoil, b’fheidir gurb é seo an t-am ceart chun do scileanna teanga a fheabhsú.

Le breis acmhainní anois ar fáil ar líne mar shampla ar Gaelchultur.com agus ranganna.com agus ó eagraíochtaí cosúil le Conradh na Gaeilge,

gheobhaidh tú rud éigin do gach uile leibhéal. Níl leithscéal ar bith agaibh ach amháin na leithscéalta a thugann sibh díobh féin. Ach cloisim “is teanga mharbh í”, “cén fáth go gcaithfidh mé í a fhoghlaim?”. Bhuel, ní gá duit í a fhoghlaim agus ní fhoghlaimeoidh tú mura bhfuil fonn ort. Is ea, tá fhios agam de réir an daonáireamh is déanaí go bhfuil laghdú tagtha ar líon na gcainteoirí Gaeilge, go háirithe sna Gaeltachtaí traidisiúnta. Ach ní cur síos iomlán é sin. Is fiú smaoineamh ar an éileamh ar Ghaelscoileanna ar fud na tíre. Deir an daonáirimh céanna go labhraíonn breis is 73,000 daoine an Ghaeilge go laethúil. Tá breis agus dhá mhilliún duine cláraithe ar an app Duolingo le Gaeilge roghnaithe acu.

Gach mí, tagaim ar shuíomh nua le haghaidh foghlaimeoirí nó fógraíocht nua ag tabhairt eolais faoi “Pop-Up Gaeltacht” nó na tithe tábhairne sa chathair ina bhfuil an Ghaeilge agus an pionta le fáil. Ceann de na rudaí nua agus is greannmhara a tháinig mé ar ná leathanach Facebook darb ainm Memes na Gaeilge. Déanann sé iarracht an spraoi is an chraic a cur isteach sa teanga. Tugaigí cuairt air, ní bheidh díomá oraibh ach ní bheidh do chomhghleacaithe sásta libh le bhur scéal grin nua mar; “So I broke my ankle and had to have an operation…Nothing serious though just a rúitín surgery!”

Admhaigh é, rinne tú gáire ansin.

Rud beag cinnte ach léiríonn seo go bhfuil suim ag daoine fós inár dteanga agus go bhfuil siad ag déanamh iarracht den scoth chun an teanga sin a spreagadh. Ach teanga mharbh? – ní dóigh liom é!

Mar is gnáth, má tá aon ábhar áirithe le plé agat, déan teagmháil liom tríd an ríomhphost marktoner@eircom.net nó go díreach sa stáisiún. Ár dTeanga, Do Rogha!

Go dté sibh slán!

10. Rain 9. Toilet 8. Drink 7. Fire brigade 6. Work 5. Good morning 4. News 3. Internet 2. Phone 1. Car FREAGRAÍ (Answers) SUMMER / AUTUMN 12 FIRECALL

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Firecall and the Dublin Fire Brigade Sports and Social Club are extending their reach this year with the launch of www.firecall.ie, a new and comprehensive website featuring news, photos and features from around Dublin Fire Brigade. Building on the material covered in the quarterly Firecall magazine, firecall.ie will cover the activities of Dublin Fire Brigade personnel at all levels, including sporting achievements, training programmes, and charitable endeavours. firecall.ie will also keep Sports and Social Club members upto-date with the work of their club, highlighting the various activities organised throughout the year. Additionally, our detailed features focusing on individual stations, retired members, recruit training and much more will provide a unique insight into life in Dublin Fire Brigade and beyond. Offering enhanced digital access for readers of Ireland’s only official firefighting magazine, firecall.ie represents an excellent opportunity to showcase your products and services to a global audience within a highly influential and well-regarded sector.

Firecall and the Dublin Fire Brigade Sports and Social Club are extending their reach this year...

www.firecall.ie

To advertise on www.firecall.ie contact Diarmaid Lennon on 01-432 2200 or via email: diarmaid.lennon@ashvillemediagroup.ie

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18/10/2017 18/09/2017 09:54 10:24

CRICKET 4CANCER

THE BATTLE OF THE BOYS IN BLUE The annual Frank O’Farrell Cup was another successful day for its organisers, raising much-needed funds for St. Francis Hospice.

A

lthough it’s still no match for soccer or the GAA, cricket in Ireland has received a popularity boost in recent years, thanks in part to the success of the Irish team on the international stage. Cricket clubs are scattered across the four provinces with a variety of organisations also fielding sides, including An Garda Síochána, ESB and Dublin Fire Brigade.

One of the highlights of DFB Cricket Club’s calendar is the Frank O’Farrell Cup, an annual memorial match held at the Civil Service Cricket Club grounds in the scenic surroundings of the Phoenix Park. The event is held in memory of Frank O’Farrell, a former firefighter based for the majority of his 30+ years on B watch Dolphin’s Barn, father to Louise and Clodagh O’Farrell who run the event today with their respective partners, Richard Murphy and Gerry Quinn. All funds raised on the day are donated to St. Francis Hospice in Blanchardstown – Frank passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2010 and spent several of his final weeks in the hospice in Raheny.

The inaugural Frank O’Farrell Cup was held one year later in 2011, with Louise and Clodagh determined to give something back to the hospice.

Frank was a cricket supporter, and after discovering that Dublin Fire Brigade had its own cricket team (Louise’s partner Richard is also a

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ABOVE: The Frank O’Farrell Cup. RIGHT: Families enjoying the day.

member of DFB), it was decided to sponsor a memorial cricket trophy.

The Garda Cricket Club quickly came on board for a head to head and while it was initially intended to be a oneoff occasion, the Cup has been held every summer since, expanding into a full day out for the family with face painters, a petting zoo, a visit from a DFB appliance, barbecues and a raffle.

“We started toying with the idea a couple of months after [Frank’s passing] for the Cup. We wanted to try and give something back,” says Louise. “It has just grown from there, it has become a family day out. This year is the seventh year. We’ve raised close to €24,000 over the last couple of years – it averages around €3,500 per year.”

MATCH DAY Given that the match pits Dublin Fire Brigade against An Garda Síochána, there’s a healthy rivalry between the two in the lead-up to the game every year – Louise describes it as the ‘Battle of the Boys in Blue’. DFB is currently in the lead, having secured the last two wins to make it 4-3 overall.

“It’s all in good sport. It’s great – the guards are fantastic, they really give us great support every year,” Louise explains. “We’re really lucky with the people that we’ve met through it.”

Each of the last six matches have been hard-fought affairs, with neither team giving up until the end of play.

The latest head-to-head in July was no different and came down to the wire, with the firefighters eventually claiming

the victory by a margin of two runs.

“It was a close-fought game.

It usually is – there’s never been a walkover,” says Louise. “It provides good entertainment, good slagging, and bragging rights for the next couple of months!”

Support is key in organising the annual event, both from within and without the brigade. The help and support of Tony Connell and Jeremy Jeffries from the Civil Service Cricket Club – and all of the club’s members – is immense, in allowing the organisers the use of the club grounds every year. Ger Corcoran and Ken Devine – stationed with Richard in Phibsboro – look after the barbecue, the ESB contributes towards the running costs, DUBCO always provides financial

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support, while the Sports and Social Club sponsors the refreshments for the teams, and apparently Met Éireann pitches in as well.

“It’s a really weather-dependent day, but we’ve been so lucky. Only once in all the time that we’ve been hosting it have we had to actually cancel it and go to a backup date. I think we have somebody upstairs on our side with the weather... friends in high places!” says Louise with a smile. “Usually it’s pretty hectic but it’s a great day.

It would start about 12 o’clock and finishes up around 7 o’clock in the evening with the prize draw.”

Louise notes that keeping the momentum going is the most difficult part – cricket is not everybody’s cup of tea, although more and more DFB families are attending every year.

And while support from the business community is perhaps a little tougher to come by, there are a number of individuals and organisations ready and willing to lend a hand when the organisers come calling. “We have quite a few people and companies who every year without question support us, which is terrific. In this day and age there are so many worthwhile causes and everybody is doing something for some organisation. There’s that exhaustion when it comes to sending out the begging letters and companies getting fed up,” she says. “We’re really grateful for all the support that we have. Haribo gives us boxes of sweets every year for the kids – it’s the little things like that. We also have the good fortune to have a company called

ImagineIt Events who for the last six years have donated their balloon modelling and face painting services free of charge. The Castleknock Hotel... Manhattan look after us with the popcorn and things like that for the kids. It makes it that much easier because that’s the biggest battle, trying to rustle up prizes for the day.

Everything else generally just falls into place for us. But we are always looking for sponsors and donations, so if there are any companies in a position to help us we would be extremely grateful.”

THE WORTHY CAUSE With great weather and a fantastic turnout, Louise and her team of organisers raised a total of €3,438 for St. Francis Hospice Blanchardstown this year. Thousands of people around the city and county have benefited from the services St. Francis Hospice provides, including community palliative care resources that support people living at home with life-limiting illnesses.

“I think everybody has a right to have hospice care, it should be something that’s in every community. There’s just not enough of them,” Louise explains.

“I know people think it’s a very scary place because you think you’re ultimately going there to die, but the dignity and the care that’s accorded to people and their families who are going through a life-limiting illness, it’s just second to none. We felt so strongly about it, that’s why we wanted to give back, because everybody deserves it.

It’s all free, it’s all voluntary – they get most of their money from donations and they get some Government support. They rely so much on people just continuously doing fundraisers.”

“I don’t think there’s a family really anywhere that’s not going to be affected by the hospice, either through the residential care that they provide in the hospice or through the palliative care teams in the community,” Richard adds. “It resonates with everyone that it’s a fun day out, but it really is a good cause.

Louise makes mention once more

of the support they receive across the board, vital in ensuring the memorial cup takes place. For her and her family, it’s also an opportunity to keep Frank’s memory alive through a sport that he enjoyed and in aid of a cause that’s close to their hearts.

“We get a lot of support from a lot of people. Dad was fire brigade all his life, and some of his old pals still try to make it, those he would have worked with,” Louise explains.

“It’s nice when you’re moving on to a generation who wouldn’t have a clue who he was... but that’s just the way it goes. For us it’s just keeping his memory alive and being able to give something back to St. Francis Hospice for what they did for us during the time he was sick. But at the end of the day it’s still a light-hearted day and it’s still good fun. We’re remembering him and I’m sure he’s got a wry smile when he sees they are playing for a trophy with his name on it.”

To discover more about the Frank O’Farrell Cup, search for ‘Cricket4Cancer The Frank O’Farrell Memorial Cup’ on Facebook and on Twitter @Cricket4Cancer.

ST. FRANCIS HOSPICE

Support is key in organising the annual event, both from within and without the brigade.

St. Francis Hospice has risen from humble beginnings in the late 1980s to a comprehensive provider of specialist palliative care services provided across two locations – Blanchardstown and Raheny. All of their services are provided free of charge to patients and their families, staffed mainly by volunteers. In 2016, more than 1,500 patients and family members received support in some form. Donations are key to keeping their doors open. One of their biggest fundraisers is their coffee morning with Bewley’s, alongside walks and runs, monthly draws, collection boxes and gifts left in wills.

For more information on how you can help, visit www.sfh.ie.

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St. Francis Hospice Who we are?

The staff and volunteers of St. Francis Hospice provide specialist palliative care to people of North Dublin City and County. Our services are delivered from our hospices in Raheny and Blanchardstown. Based on a Christian philosophy, each person is treated with dignity, respect and compassion irrespective of their cultural or religious background. Our services are at no charge to patients.

What we do?

We supported 1546 patients and their families in 2016. This care was provided by the multidisciplinary team of Doctors, Nurses, Social Workers, Chaplains, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Complementary/Lymphedema Therapists, Care Assistants, Household, Administration and Contract Staff.

Specialist palliative care was provided to 1262 people in their homes. Patients attended our Hospice Day Care Centres in Raheny and Blanchardstown and patients also attended our Out-Patient Clinics in Raheny (Walmer Villa) and Blanchardstown Hospice. In addition, 290 patients were admitted to our In-Patient unit in Raheny and 336 to Blanchardstown for symptom management and end of life care. We helped families both during the person’s illness and afterwards, through support and counselling by the Medical Social Work Team.

It costs €15.25m per year to provide St. Francis Hospice’s services in North Dublin, of which €10.75m is funded by the Health Service Executive.

What we want to do.

• Currently we need to fundraise €4.5m per year to provide our high quality services which are free to the patients and families in our care.

As a Community it is so important that we care for each other.

Please help if you can.

Thank you for your support and generosity.

St Francis Hospice would like to take this opportunity to thank the men and women in Dublin Fire Brigade for their continued generosity and support.

St. Francis Hospice, Station Road, Raheny, Dublin 5 Tel: 01 832 7535 | www.stfrancishospice.ie St. Francis Hospice, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 Tel: 01 829 4000 FC advert template.indd 1 242387_1C_SFH_SM_FC.indd 1

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18/10/2017 09/06/2017 08:58 17:05

FUNDRAISER DFB CYCLING CLUB The cheque presentation in HQ, Townsend Street. Photo: Ray McMonagle.

CYCLING FOR CHARITY O

Dublin Fire Brigade’s cycling club held a successful fundraising event back in July, raising several thousand euro in aid of Suicide or Survive (SOS).

n Saturday July 8th, the Dublin Fire Brigade cycling club, accompanied by over 80 members of the public, took to the road on a 100km and 40km charity cycle to raise money for Suicide or Survive (SOS).

Suicide or Survive is an Irish charity

focused on breaking down the stigma associated with mental health issues and ensuring that those affected have access to quality recovery services that are right for the individual. SOS was founded by Caroline McGuigan in 2003 at her kitchen table and the Eden Programme was its original focus – based on her experience of

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FUNDRAISER DFB CYCLING CLUB

Special thanks must also go to all the other members who gave up their time to ensure the event passed off without incident.

HOW TO HELP

The club raised €3,673 for the charity.

Photo: Ray McMonagle

Suicide or Survive’s work is underpinned by support from the public, with donations and fundraising endeavours ensuring the continued delivery of its programmes, which include wellness and wellbeing workshops and supporters programmes. To make a donation, visit mycharity.ie/charity/ suicideorsurvive, text SOS6 to 50300 to donate €6, or phone 01 272 2158 to make a credit card donation.

If you’re interested in organising a fundraiser of your own, such as a sponsored swim, running a marathon or joining the annual National Tea Break in September, visit www.suicideorsurvive.ie/ help-sos/fundraiser.

depression, anxiety and a suicide attempt. Caroline went on to train as a psychotherapist, activist, and an advocate for mental health among other skills, with a vision of focusing on the individual and driving their recovery and wellbeing through practical and educational tools.

“Caroline had a vision to approach mental health differently, a vision that puts the power and responsibility back in the hands of the individual. A vision that says there is another way that will lead to a person driving their own recovery through practical and educational tools to build resilience and nurture hope and wellbeing.

A vision that placed collaboration and partnership at the heart of what Suicide or Survive would do,” SOS states. “The organisation is premised on the belief that there are gaps in existing services for those who have attempted or contemplated suicide.

One of the key drivers behind the work of SOS is the desire to harness individuals’ own strengths and provide them with the tools to improve their own mental wellness.

Underlying SOS’s vision is the idea that ‘behind every statistic on suicide and self-harm, there is a person’ (Suicide or Survive 2012) and that every person has the capability of living a full life regardless of the challenges they may face in their mental health throughout their lives.”

The charity has links to DFB, and the Cycling Club was only too happy to help out with the fundraising; a bucket collection on Henry Street the week previous yielded over €2,000.

“We have a link through one of the sub officers Stephen Pender. His sister is actually one of the founding members,” explains Paul Elebert from the Cycling Club, who explains that going forward the Club will ask its members to nominate a worthy cause each year. “We’re not aligned to any charity, and we do a charity event for a different charity each year. Over the last two years we held an event for Paddy O’Mahony and the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association. We’re not aligning ourselves with any one charity.”

With all the hard work done in the weeks leading up to event, the sunshine that was ordered arrived and it was all systems go. The cyclists took to the road and were marshalled by members of the DFB on motorbikes – every one of the cyclists commented that they felt really safe on the road and that it had the feel of the Tour de France thanks to the DFB motorcycle marshals. The people in lycra were very appreciative of the marshals in leather.

Special thanks must also go to all the other members who gave up their time to ensure the event passed off without incident. Thanks to the S/O and crew of Skerries fire station who manned the food stop for the 100k people. Food courtesy of Fire House Pizza was provided for the participants in the OBI on their return, and all the cakes, bars and breads were provided by James the Breadman from Tara Street Station.

A very successful event all round with €3,673 raised for a very worthy cause.

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27/10/2017 10:14

Home is the place where memories are made.

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We understand that when making your Will, you’ll want to care for those closest to you first, but once you have, any contribution to Focus Ireland can make such a big difference. Please contact Pauline Costello in Focus Ireland, in complete confidence, on 01 881 5900. Thank you.

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22/08/2017 15:13

26/10/2017 15:55

SPORT CIVIL SERVICE FOOTBALL

TOP OF THE TABLE Dublin Fire Brigade’s football team are the Civil Service League and Cup champions for 2017.

S/O Robbie Young with sons FF/P Karl Young and future recruit Conor Young

The DFB team

D

ublin Fire Brigade are the champions of the Civil Service Football League once more following an unbeaten run in the competition, adding triumph in the final of the Cup to make for an impressive summer. The League is now in its 47th year, with organiser Liam Brennan adding two new full-time amateur club sides to the line-up to shake up the competition in 2017 – Ely Woodlawn and SportsLink FC. With the team boosted by the ranks of the latest recruit class, DFB went into the season in a very strong position and it showed. Their toughest competition was Ely Woodlawn – in their head-to-head clash Ely were up 2-0 by half-time, the firefighters showing their opponents a little too much respect. However, a second half comeback saw DFB run out 3-2 winners. “A great comeback,” says Paul McGurrell, co-manager alongside Robbie Young. “They

were definitely the one team that were able to put it up to us.”

The two sides met again in the Cup final, having avoided one another during the qualifying stages, and produced another epic display. This time DFB took the lead early on, though Ely soon drew level. Just before half-time, DFB scored again courtesy of a cracking individual goal by guest player Conor Young (his brother Karl and father Robbie are both on the team and in the job), who beat five or six players to find the back of the net.

“Conor is a fantastic footballer, he was easily our player of the tournament,” says Paul. “Last year we brought in a new trophy for the man of the match in the Cup final, named after Robbie Kane – a sub officer who passed away last year from cancer. That’s nominated by the referees and the linesmen, and without a doubt throughout the final Conor Young was the star of the event.”

The second half was a frenetic affair.

Ely (who were at the beginning of their preseason) had a strong bench and made full use of it – Paul describes the second 45 minutes as a “battle”, not helped by a red card for DFB captain Aidan O’Sullivan with 10 minutes to go.

In the end DFB kept them out, winning their second silverware of the summer on a scoreline of 2-1. “A great final and a great league game playing against them, really good matches,” says Paul.

While several years ago it was a struggle to put a team of footballers together, this year saw 15/16 firefighters ready and willing to play.

The 2018 League is out of sight at the moment but the managers will begin preparations next April, posting notices in stations and spreading the word via WhatsApp. “It’s great – a lot of the lads will or did play at a very high level. They only get together for a couple of weeks through the summer playing together consistently, but they gel very well, they really work well as a team,” Paul says of the squad. “And as always, thanks to the Sports and Social Club, who give us financial support each year for the tournament.”

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COMMERCIAL FEATURE

GROW: SUPPORTING POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH GROW promotes positive mental health, personal growth and recovery from all kinds of mental illness.

The focus is ongoing peersupport, mutual encouragement and understanding – people supporting others on the journey to mental health recovery. GROW is also about breaking social isolation, fostering social connectedness, outreach and friendship. GROW’s slogan is “you alone can do it, but you can’t do it on your own”.

Besides weekly support meetings, GROW also holds free community education, workplace, carer and young adult programmes.

peer support recovery. The researchers found that while medical treatment and mental health professionals can be a vital start for some people’s recovery, mental health problems can also be resolved through peer and community support and everyday social interactions.

To discover more about GROW and GROW meetings nationwide, phone GROW’s infoline on 1890 474 474, visit the GROW website – www.grow.ie or email info@grow.ie

BENEFITS A 2016 outcomes-based report on GROW’s recovery programme looked at the impacts, benefits and changes to GROW members. The results show that: • 46 per cent of GROW members had no relapse of symptoms in the past year.

• Over 50 per cent said they were coping well or very well.

• 17 per cent of members had never been hospitalised for mental health issues, while a further 68 per cent were not hospitalised in the past year.

• 89 per cent of members were optimistic about the future.

Research conducted by Trinity College Dublin in 2017 also examined the transformative power of GROW’s peer-support programme in assisting recovery from mental illness. The research, published in May, featured in-depth interviews with 26 people who went through GROW’s programme of

SUPPORT

A

re you struggling with your mental or emotional wellbeing or know someone who is?

GROW is Ireland’s largest community-based mental health organisation and has been helping people on the road to mental health recovery for almost 50 years. GROW has its origins in Australia and commenced in Ireland in 1969.

GROW has a long history of promoting positive mental health and recovery in communities nationwide.

GROW holds 120 peer-support groups across Ireland each week.

GROW groups follow a practical, 12-step programme and provide mutual help and support to anyone experiencing mental health difficulties or struggling with their mental wellbeing. Meetings are free and confidential.

One-in-four people in Ireland will experience some kind of psychological or emotional distress in the course of this year. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Ireland has the seventh highest rate of suicide in people in the EU in the 15-24 age group. By supporting us, you are directly helping people struggling with their mental wellbeing and securing our vital, ongoing work; namely the delivery of GROW in Ireland’s Programme of Recovery, free weekly support group network and the promotion of better mental health awareness within your community. To support GROW in its important work or for more information on GROW’s services, please get in touch.

SUMMER / AUTUMN 24 FIRECALL

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18/10/2017 09:07

GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

TEE TIME IN CASTLEKNOCK

Liam Cawley, Leonard Shevlin, Ian Smith and John Carden receive the cup from Ray Campion.

The 2017 All-Ireland Fire Services Golf Championship attracted a large and competitive playing field, writes event coordinator Ray Campion.

S

eptember means one thing to fire service golfers around the country – the All-Ireland Fire Services Golf Championships hosted by Dublin Fire Brigade Sports and Social Club.

This year’s event was once again held at the premier golf links of Castleknock Golf Club. As always the course did not disappoint. There were over 100 golfers who turned out to compete for the coveted trophy and the title of ‘All-Ireland champions’.

This year we welcomed a new sponsor to the event, PBI Performance Products. After some negotiations at The Sheriff’s Cup hosted successfully

by Northern Ireland Fire Service at

Loch Erne, the management of PBI kindly offered to sponsor the event.

We would like to offer our sincere thanks to them and their generosity.

As with any outdoor sporting event the weather plays its part, and this was to be the case in this year’s event. With an overcast day came strong winds and, with the course playing long, it would make scoring difficult. This year’s first tee time was at 9am with some of the favoured Dublin teams including Tony Lowe, John Foster and Eric Boland’s teams getting the competition underway. As usual the tee box began to fill up as teams began to arrive and as usual there were no complaints from anyone. Thanks to all for your patience and understanding.

The cup arrived in the hands of Eddie Stuart (Dublin Fire Brigade Retired), holder of the cup for the past year. Although his team had changed this year there were still high hopes of retaining the crown.

As always teams were greeted by our resident bookkeeper Colm Kinsella. Though not a member of the fire service, Colm has become part of the family, having assisted us over the past eight years. Big thanks to you for all your help. Along with a warm welcome, each player received a goody bag courtesy of our long-standing supporter DUBCO Credit Union, and PBI Products.

This year had teams from Laois, Westmeath, Dublin, Kildare, Mayo, and many more. Northern Ireland came down in force this year with six teams thanks to the work of Kerry McLoughlin in getting them together. By 1pm all teams were on the course and as they rounded the

FIRECALL SUMMER / AUTUMN

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GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

1ST Mayo / 97 pts.

Liam Cawley Ian Smith Leonard Shevlin John Carden 2ND Dublin / 94 pts.

Dermot Murray Jim Brennan Pat O’Riordan Danny Colgan 3RD B/N Louth 1 / 92 pts.

Colm O’Hanrahan Barry Cunningham Paddy Lawless Niall Clarke 4TH Westmeath 2 / 92 pts.

Seamus Conroy Mick Wynne Martin Little Martin Murray 5TH Dublin 3 / 89 pts.

Tony Lowe Craig Wilson Keith Flynn Peter Gorman

RESULTS

6TH 3A + 1B Dublin / 88 pts.

Colm Sherlock John Foster Bob Leggett Aidan O’Sullivan LONGEST DRIVE Colm Sherlock (Dublin) 289.98mts NEAREST THE PIN Niall Clarke (Louth) 2 feet.

FRODO – NEAREST THE MARK Tony Sheeran (W/Meath) 3 feet.

Louth Fire Brigade (3rd place) – Colm O’Hanrahan, Paddy Lawless, Barry Cunningham and Niall Clarke

9th hole they were all greeted by our now resident burgermaster Luke (service with a smile!) McCann with a tasty burger and a beer. For some it was the highlight of their round!

There were three special prizes on the day of nearest the pin, longest drive, and a special fundraiser on the 18th. The nearest the pin was on the 9th where Niall Clarke of Louth Fire Service triumphed. A superb 9 iron, hit with a touch of draw and a controlled amount of back spin that stopped just two feet from the pin – at least that’s how he described it to almost everyone in the clubhouse! The longest drive was won by Colm Sherlock, set early in the day, with a cracking hit. It was a target many tried to reach but with nobody able to outdo Colm. ‘Tee It Up for Frodo’ was the theme of the fundraiser on the 18th. A couple of years ago we lost our friend and colleague Ian McCormack to cancer.

It was a pleasure to have known Ian and a joy to see the continued support by competitors of this event for Ian’s family. To continue the memory of Ian and his involvement over the years in this event, we raised almost €500 on the day.

CHAMPIONS As the teams started to come in it was clear that a score in the early 90s would be hard to beat. There were many scores in the late 80s but then we had a score of 92pts followed by a second 92pts from Westmeath and Louth, and that looked as if it would

be the target to beat. It was then that tournament veterans Dermot Murray, Jim Brennan, Danny Colgan and Pat O’Riordan would post a score of 94pts. This would remain the leading score until the last couple of four balls came up the 18th.

The team from Mayo of Liam Cawley, Ian Smith, Leonard Shevlin and John Carden were one of the last to hand in their cards to the markers’ desk. The Mayo team has played in the event for many years, only missing last year due to work commitments.

It was finally their year, posting an untouchable score of 97pts. It was great to see a new name grace the cup, that of Mayo Fire Service.

The committee would as always like to thank all teams who took part, and to Colm Kinsella, Kerry McLoughlin (NIFB), Paddy Lawless (Louth) and Darren Reynolds (Galway) for their help in organising teams. We would also like to thank Castleknock Golf Club for once again making our job so much easier on the day with their hospitality and professionalism.

A special thanks to our new sponsor PBI Performance Products, especially Suzy, and DUBCO Credit Union. Without their support this event would not take place, so our sincere thanks to both of them and we hope we can rely on their continued support in the years to come.

Details of next year’s event will be advertised as soon as arrangements are in place – we look forward to seeing you all.

SUMMER / AUTUMN 26 FIRECALL

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27/10/2017 14:13

027_FC_Summer 2017_Advert_REV.indd 1

09/11/2017 16:07

Supporting recovery and protecting your mental health Who are GROW? GROW is a national community based organisation providing support and education around emotional and mental wellbeing. Our 12 Step Recovery Program provides effective peer support, motivation and empowerment to enable you to take action to change your circumstances.

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How do I join GROW? To join GROW you do not need any introductions or referrals. Our meetings are free, open to all, anonymous and confidential. If you require further information please contact our Info line 1890 474 474 or log onto www.grow.ie to find a support group near you.

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30/08/2017 09:52

Kiltormer

PRIVATE NURSING HOME ESTABLISHED NOVEMBER 1987

Kiltormer Nursing Home Galway is a family run nursing home in operation for 22 years. Residents at Kiltormer Nursing Home receive 24 hour care from highly qualifi ed and experienced staff, delivering a qualified superior standard of care in a friendly and homely environment.

OUR SERVICES: • Doctor on call 24 hours a day.

• Bio-zone air purifi ers. purifiers.

• Hairdresser available on request.

• Health Board Certifi ed, Certified,

• Laundry - free of charge.

• Subvention approved.

• Chiropody available.

• Traditional music every Sunday.

• 24 hour nursing care.

• Mass weekly.

• Security with key pad door entry and exit.

• Birthday, Anniversaries celebrated at residents/family request.

Kiltormer Nursing Home Galway is a purpose built Nursing Home, all on ground level, situated on the outskirts of Kiltormer village a short drive from the townlands of Loughrea and Ballinasloe in Co. Galway and is also within walking distance of local amenities.

Kiltormer | Ballinasloe | Co. Galway | T: 090 9627313 www.kiltormernursinghome.com | E: info@kiltormernursinghome.com

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FAMILY FUN DAY

FIREFIGHTING

Family Fun The annual Dublin Fire Brigade Sports and Social Club Family Fun Day at the end of August was a great success.

T

he annual Sports and Social Club family fun day was held at the OBI on Sunday August 27th last, with firefighters and their families enjoying the good weather, inflatable entertainment and some tasty burgers and hotdogs, not to mention Dublin’s decisive victory over Tyrone on their march towards the All-Ireland title.

Alongside entertainers on stilts and dressed up as popular TV and movie characters, the younger generation enjoyed a host of inflatable fun from bouncy castles to an impressive zip wire experience, as well as a pet corner, games and prizes, and an exceedingly popular cotton candy stand.

As always, a big thank you to the OBI Training Centre for hosting our annual event, and we look forward to seeing you again next year!

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FAMILY FUN DAY

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FAMILY FUN DAY

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FAMILY FUN DAY

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18/10/2017 21/06/2017 09:23 09:08

COMMERCIAL FEATURE

TAKE THE NEXT STEP IN YOUR CAREER

Tony Hynes

I

f you want to pursue a career in transport, unlock your potential and gain a recognised qualification then you need a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) in Transport Management. This certificate, which is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, qualifies you as a transport manager and also entitles you to set up a haulage or bus passenger business. A CPC is also extremely beneficial for employment opportunities, career advancement, or if you want to upskill. Although you must renew your operator’s license every five years, you never have to renew your CPC – a bit like a driving license where you renew it without sitting a test.

Subjects covered in the course include managing a transport business;

employment and contract law; health and safety legislation; financial management; tachograph and hours of driving legislation; national and international documentation, HRM etc. The course content is extremely interesting and will increase both your business and personal effectiveness.

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We employ Ireland’s most qualified trainers, all specially recruited and trained by course director Tony Hynes.

Guaranteeing you thoroughly enjoyable CPC courses, CPC.ie will enhance your career prospects and ensure that you meet all legislative requirements.

In preparation for the next exam on November 24th 2017 Tony Hynes of CPC.ie will be running his internationally acclaimed (see testimonials on CPC.ie) part and full-time courses in centrally located venues – Galway (Connaught Hotel), Limerick (Kilmurry Lodge Hotel), Cork (Vienna Woods Hotel), Athlone (Prince of Wales Hotel) and Dublin (Green Isle Hotel).

If you wish to obtain further information please contact 1890 374 837; 087 636 3003; email info@cpc.ie or visit www.cpc.ie.

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18/10/2017 09:28

OPEN DAY

K OPEN TO THE

Community Kilbarrack Fire Station hosted Dublin Fire Brigade’s most recent open day.

ilbarrack Fire Station played host to Dublin Fire Brigade’s most recent open day on Saturday July 8th, inviting northsiders to visit the station and learn more about not just DFB but a number of emergency organisations, both fulltime and voluntary.

These open days are a vital cog in DFB’s relationship with communities across the city and county, allowing citizens to meet and greet emergency response workers in a more relaxed setting, removing some of the mystery of what goes on behind the scenes.

Showcasing their duties on the day were An Garda Síochána, the Irish Coast Guard, Irish Defence Forces, Dublin Civil Defence, Blood Bikes East, and Irish Water Safety. The event also coincided with the launch of Save a Life Saturday, a new community CPR initiative from DFB, and funds were raised on the day in aid of St. Francis Hospice.

Noel Cunningham was the event’s main organiser and explained how the groundwork laid by Derek Riordan and C watch No 8 in organising open days in Nutgrove over the past few years proved invaluable.

“Derek was a fantastic guide and help. I sat down with Derek and

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Photos courtesy Trevor Hunt.

OPEN DAY

the crew on C watch No 8,” he says.

“They gave me a full insight into what to do – the pitfalls, what does work and doesn’t work. They provided great guidance.”

Advice and support was also forthcoming from Felicity Gill of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Cllr Alison Gilliland, and Lord Mayor Mícheál MacDonncha, not to mention C watch No 6 and No 4 and a group of recruits from the OBI. Sponsorship was provided by Member First Credit Union, which has its own tradition of community services including a community defibrillator initiative, and from DFB Sports and Social Club.

“They were very supportive of us,” says Noel. “It couldn’t have gone better. The weather was obviously a big bonus – we had upwards of 2,500

people visit the station. All of the exhibitors were on time, were fully compliant, really engaging with the public. We also had the Sam Maguire there as a bonus on the day, that was fantastic.”

REPEAT SUCCESS The plan going forward is to host open days in stations around the city, and the lessons learned from Nutgrove and Kilbarrack have been compiled into a comprehensive safety management plan for future events. The plan covers crowd safety management, medical plans, fire safety, health and welfare, traffic management, emergency procedures and much more. “We wanted to build on what Derek did,” says Noel. “Now it’s documented so we can repeat that success.”

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GOLF CAPTAIN’S CUP

A BIRDIE-FUL DAY IN BRAY

The DFB Golf Society's Captain's Day drew a big crowd of enthusiastic golfers to Bray.

T

he annual DFB Golf Society’s Captain’s Day took place on August 25th last, played in the scenic surroundings of Old Conna Golf Club outside Bray, Co Wicklow. Organised by the Society committee and current captain Ken Walsh, 57 golfers took to the greens on the day, with a good mix of serving firefighters, retired personnel, associate members and visitors.

“It was an excellent day. The captain put a lot of work into it. The flag on the 18th hole was actually for the winner on the day. It was placed in a frame when we were finished, which was a nice touch,” says Club secretary Robbie Connolly, who managed to snag a place on the winner’s list for the first time. “Most captains try to bring something that another captain hasn’t brought.

There were two cups there for the

retired member and the Captain’s Cup – we never had those before.”

Among the visitors was Dean Ladrigan, Member Communications Officer with Dubco Credit Union, who explained that the organisation places an emphasis on supporting local communities. “We would have a great working relationship with the fire brigade and we’re very proud to be able to support them in any way we can,” he explains. “We’ve sponsored Captain’s Day for the last seven or eight years at this stage. We get to come out and meet the guys, have a chat with them and see how things are going.”

“I’d like to thank our main sponsors on the day, Dubco, and also the Sports and Social Club who give us a grant at the start of the year, which helps us to run our ten annual outings,” Robbie adds.

“Thanks also to the Chief Fire Officer Mr Patrick Fleming, who puts up a prize every year, and to Old Conna Golf Club as well, because they put on a great show for us.”

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GOLF CAPTAIN’S CUP

OVERALL 1st K. Maypother 38–13 2nd S. Talbot 37–28 (b6) 3rd J. Watson 37–14 (b6) 4th J. Nolan 37–13

CLASS 1 1st B. Greene 35–11 2nd J. King 34–10 3rd M. Halstead 33–12 (b9) 4th P. Synott 33–11 CLASS 2 1st A. Moore 35–18 2nd S. Foley 34–15 (b9) 3rd T. Neylon 34–15 4th A. Stanley 32–17 CLASS 3 1st E. Stuart 35–22 2nd S. Barriscale 34–28 (b9) 3rd A. Curley 34–21 4th A. Carroll 33–25 (b9) F/9 N: Hogan 20 B/9:

P. Heary 19

N/P 8: R. Connolly N/P 17: E. Stuart L/D:

G. Kavanagh

1st K. Bristow 35–15 2nd P. Wade 32–24 3rd D. Fynes 28–26 PAST CAPTAINS Jim King

RESULTS

VISITORS

RETIRED MEMBERS Bobby Greene

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GOLF CAPTAIN’S CUP

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COMMERCIAL FEATURE

LIFELONG LEARNING A Bachelor of Business (Honours) in Emergency Services Management provides an opportunity for learning and career progression for the emergency services sector.

T

he Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Emergency Services Management offers students the opportunity to pursue a qualification that is both practical and academic. The programme offers traditional modules relevant to any management degree such as Communication, Leadership and Motivation Management and Organisational Behaviour. In addition there are modules of particular relevance to the emergency services sector such as Health & Safety and Safety Management Systems, Fire Safety Law, Incident Command & Risk Management, and Critical Incident

IT Carlow_2L_CP_FC.indd 24

Stress Management (CISM).

The aim of the programme is to produce graduates equipped with sufficient knowledge, skills and techniques to be able to make an immediate contribution to the sector.

The programme, which is delivered in Dublin, is designed for delivery around participants’ working lives.

As busy working lives, coupled with a modern and hectic lifestyle, can impact on learning, this programme affords students the opportunity to exit with an academic award at the end of any of the successfully completed academic stages of the programme.

RECOGNISING PRIOR LEARNING IT Carlow welcomes applications for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), a formal recognition of knowledge achieved prior to commencing a programme or module. This can be both formal and/or non-formal learning i.e. academic awards and/or life experience. Successful RPL applicants may gain entry to an advanced stage of the programme or may be granted exemptions from one or more modules.

For more information, phone 059 917 5286, email llldublin@itcarlow.ie or visit www.itcarlow.ie

27/10/2017 09:27

DUBLIN PORT FACILITATING IRISH ECONOMIC GROWTH

Port Centre, Alexandra Road, Dublin 1, Ireland.

Tel: 00 353 1 8876000 Email: info@dublinport.ie www.dublinport.ie

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BLOOD DONATION

EVERY DROP COUNTS Dublin Fire Brigade is among the organisations supporting the Irish Blood Transfusion Service, which seeks to maintain a steady supply of quality and safe blood products throughout the year.

ABOVE and NEXT PAGE: Joe Duffy attended a promotional event for the Irish Blood Transfusion Service at the O’Brien Training Institute.

E

arlier this summer, Dublin Fire Brigade teamed up with Joe Duffy and the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) to mark World Blood Donor Day (June 14th) and to launch the IBTS summer campaign in the O’Brien Training Institute in Marino.

The aim of the campaign was to remind people to give blood even when normal schedules are being interrupted. During the summer, for example, household routines change with the schools off, exams

underway, and people preparing for holidays. Despite these changes, blood donations are still vital in ensuring the national blood supply is consistent.

“Blood lasts just 35 days and platelets five days, so we need people constantly coming to our clinics to maintain a consistent supply,” said Paul McKinney, IBTS Operations Director.

VITAL RESOURCE For planned treatments and urgent interventions, a fresh supply of donor

blood is a vitally important resource.

The benefits are numerous – patients suffering from life-threatening conditions live longer with a higher quality of life; victims of emergencies ranging from natural disasters and armed conflicts to terrorist incidents can be treated more efficiently and gain a greater chance of survival; while it also has a life-saving role in maternal and perinatal care.

Having a blood service that provides patients in need with safe and fresh products is also a key component in an effective healthcare system. It’s by no means a simple resource to manage and maintain, requiring a national coordinated blood transfusion service that relies on voluntary blood donations on a constant basis. Nor is it a resource that is uniformly maintained across the globe – IBTS notes that blood services in many countries face challenges in providing sufficient blood supplies to the required safety and quality standards.

“We would encourage eligible members of the public to support us and the IBTS in donating blood regularly to keep adequate stocks in place to be able to supply the demand which, unfortunately, is never decreasing,” said DFB’s Chief Fire Officer Pat Fleming.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE This year’s campaign focused on donating blood during emergencies, particularly in an era when terrorist attacks appear to be occurring more frequently on European soil.

In March, four people were killed when an attacker mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in London; another four people lost their lives the following month in Stockholm during a similar incident.

In Manchester, 22 people were killed and 250 injured following an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena in May, while a van that ploughed into crowds on Barcelona’s Las Ramblas pedestrian mall in August claimed the lives of 13 people, injuring over

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100. Rather than drive a wedge between communities, these attacks brought people together, responding with aid and assistance, wanting to know what they could do to help alleviate the situation.

“Blood transfusion is an essential component of emergency healthcare. Emergencies increase the demand for blood transfusion and make its delivery challenging and complex,” says IBTS. “Adequate supply of blood during emergencies requires a well-

Having a blood service that provides patients in need with safe and fresh products is also a key component in an effective healthcare system.

organised blood service, and this can only be ensured by engaging the entire community and a blood donor population committed to voluntary unpaid blood donation throughout the year.”

Among those there on the day from Dublin Fire Brigade was Third Officer John Keogh, who commented on DFB’s long association with IBTS. “We’ve always been associated with the Irish Blood Transfusion Service, we’ve tried to give them as much support as we can. Even having the facility out here in the OBI to get a good photo, to get a friend in Joe Duffy down, it’s terrific,” he said. “We’ve seen it all over the world, with all of the tragedies and accidents that are happening, the amount of people who are injured. So if you have 30 or 40 people injured during an incident, blood is a vital resource, and we would certainly encourage anybody to give blood on a regular basis.”

DONOR CAMPAIGN

BLOOD DONATION

Every year on June 14th, countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day, an event that serves to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products, but also to thank donors for their life-saving gifts. This year’s objectives include encouraging people to donate blood and strengthen emergency preparedness in their community, build wider awareness of the need for year-round donation, engage authorities in establishing effective national blood donor programmes, and to celebrate and thank individuals who donate blood regularly while encouraging younger people to become new donors. “The campaign underlines the role every single person can play in helping others in emergency situations, by giving the valuable gift of blood,” IBTS states. “It also focuses on the fact that it is important to give blood regularly, so that the blood stock is sufficient before an emergency arises.”

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07/11/2017 11:17

COMMERCIAL FEATURE

STYLE IN THE CITY CENTRE The Merrion Hotel offers a relaxing and luxurious escape in the heart of Dublin city.

of Wellington, these rooms can hold up to 100 people for a reception or 50 people for a private dinner or meetings.

These splendid rooms offer their own separate entrance, natural daylight, ornate ceilings, large sash windows and wireless internet connection. Here you will find a perfect harmony of 21st century technology with 18th century luxury to create a unique corporate setting.

FIRESIDE CHATS

D

ublin’s most stylish and luxurious five star hotel, The Merrion is located in the city centre opposite Government Buildings. Created from four restored Georgian townhouses, many of the 142 bedrooms and suites overlook period landscaped gardens. Remembered historically as the birthplace of the first Duke of Wellington, the hotel houses one of Ireland’s most impressive collections of art and antiques.

From late October, guests can choose to dine in our new Garden Room restaurant which offers an all-day dining experience or Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, with its two Michelin stars, offering more formal gourmet dining. Bars include The Cellar Bar set in the original 18th century wine vaults and the intimate cocktail bar, No 23. During the spring and summer months, guests can relax out on the garden terrace while the drawing rooms, with their open log fires, are perfect for afternoon tea any time of year. The award winning Tethra Spa boasts an 18m pool, steam room, fully equipped gymnasium and private treatment rooms.

The Merrion offers six of the most impressive rooms available in Dublin for high-level business meetings or private dining. Located in the former home of the first Duke

Created from four Grade I listed Georgian townhouses, The Merrion is Dublin’s best address.

Its warming peat fires and deeply comfortable drawing rooms come into their own as the summer evenings shorten and the shift into autumn begins. Marking the new season, The Merrion is welcoming guests for a series of fireside tastings, sharing the deepest secrets whiskey has to offer.

Expert speakers will be on hand on Monday November 6th for the Whiskey of the World fireside chat.

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Particular Sciences located in the Rosemount Business Park, Ballycoolin wish to offer their best to the readers of Firecall.

P.K. Chemicals Limited are proud to support Dublin Fire Brigade

We support the many high technology industries that operate effectively in Ireland. As well as the colleges and research groups that provide the graduates and training they need.

Our expertise in material characterisation may be a niche but infrastructure like this keeps Ireland in the forefront of biotechnology, pharmaceutics, medical devices and nano-technology.

P.K. Chemicals Ltd Unit 23 Sandyford Office Park, Blackthorn Avenue, Foxrock, Dublin 18.

Agents & Distributors Phone: 01-2956977

FLAMEPROOF LTD

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Specialists in the Fire Retarding of all curtain fabrics, ready-made curtains and nets, also all types of upholstery fabrics to the relevant British & International standards, either in our factory or in-situ.

We also offer a comprehensive stain & liquid repellent protection for all your upholstery needs.

Should you have any queries or require and further information, please do not hesitate to contact the number below.

Call us now, your safety matters

26/07/2017 09:25

Welcome to those in need Bro. Kevin needs financial help to provide 850 meals every day and 1,700 food parcels once a week for the people who attend the centre. We have a doctor’s clinic, dental clinic, chiropodist and showers are provided every day.

Please send a donation, no matter how small to:

Unit G8, Chapelizod Industrial Estate, Dubln 20

Tel: (01) 623 4363 Email: flameproofltd@gmail.com

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For more see www.particular.ie

Fax: 01-2958338

Bro. Kevin Crowley ofm cap.

Capuchin Day Centre, 29, Bow Street, Dublin 7.

Telephone: 01-8720770

or donate online

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04/02/2015 29/09/2017 17:12 09:50 18/10/2017 09:41

WORLD POLICE & FIRE GAMES

TRACK SUCCESS Eithne Scully

Among the thousands of competitors at the 2017 World Police & Fire Games was Dublin Fire Brigade’s Eithne Scully.

T

he World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) is basically the Olympics for emergency services personnel, attracting around 10,000 entrants every two years. Organised by the California-based World Police & Fire Games Federation, athletes participate in a wide variety of events ranging from badminton and baseball to soccer and stair races.

The WPFG began life back in the swinging sixties when a police officer in San Diego developed an idea to promote physical fitness and well-being among law enforcement officers. The California Police Olympics were first held in 1967, and their success in the proceeding years led to the foundation of the WPFG during the 1980s, open to serving and retired firefighters, police officers, customs and excise personnel, and prison officers. The Games have run every two years since San Jose in 1985, hosted in cities around the world including Belfast in 2013. On a global scale, the Games attract the second largest cohort of athletes after the Summer Olympics – no mean feat.

RUNNING SOLO Though Dublin Fire Brigade generally has a strong contingent at each Games, this year advanced paramedic Eithne Scully from D watch Dolphin’s Barn was the sole representative in Los Angeles. Eithne has competed in five Games so far having first attended Quebec in 2005

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WORLD POLICE & FIRE GAMES

Eithne with some of the other Irish athletes.

country, 4 x 100m relay, 4 x 400m relay, the women’s team stair race and the mixed team stair race. She also earned a silver medal for yet another climb of the AON Centre in the individual race, and a bronze medal in the 800m.

“I was delighted!” she says with a laugh. “I was glad that it did work out well because I thought that it might be quite embarrassing to come home with nothing! Usually the swimmers attend and they’re fantastic, so they always come home with rakes of medals. I was glad that I was able to represent the fire brigade well and come away with something.”

THE SOCIAL SIDE Despite a busy timetable with five days of events, Eithne had plenty of time to explore her surroundings, something she tries to do at every Games. A trip to the famous Santa Monica beach with a colleague from New York City Fire Department (FDNY) was an enjoyable break between races, while a friend from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) brought them on a tour of one of the city’s training centres as well as a trip through Beverly Hills.

“That’s the plus of being at a few Games – you get to know people,” says Eithne. “There were other people that we would meet up with for dinner – 8 or 10 of us would meet up in downtown LA every couple of nights for dinner and have a night out. It’s [a] social [event] as well.”

The date has already been set for

the next Games in Chengdu, China in August 2019. Eithne is looking forward to the date, having decided several years ago that she would continue competing in the Games as long as she is healthy and able. With support from the Sports & Social Club in securing her entry fee, and no signs of slowing down, it looks like there will be at least one person representing DFB on the world stage, though hopefully numbers will grow over the years.

“I wish to thank you for all your support – it is fantastic to receive such encouragement when you are over there,” Eithne says. “I also wish to encourage anyone who is thinking of participating to go for it and start saving now. China in 2019 may be out of reach for a lot of people but Rotterdam will be hosting the Games in 2021, and it would be great to have a DFB team travel and participate.”

In the year of the Games, Eithne begins her preparations in February or March.

This year she began running at 5.30am while working in the OBI and doing circuit training with colleague Sarah Good. Eithne is also part of a group of runners on D watch No. 2 who go for a run before their shift begins.

PREPARATION

with 20 colleagues – she was instantly hooked. Travelling to LA on her own was by no means a deterrent.

“Because I’ve been at five Games now I have friends that I meet up with over there. When you get to the track you meet the same group of people, the Americans, the Germans, the Brazilians – there’s a whole gang there that you recognise,” she tells me. “The atmosphere is fantastic. Despite being there on my own from DFB, everybody is just really encouraging, clapping and encouraging everybody else. Everybody has got a common background.”

After the opening ceremony on August 7th in the Coliseum the Games kicked off, with athletes from across the globe going head-to-head in 56 events. Eithne competed in the 10k cross-country (individual and team), 800m, 1500m, 5000m and 10000m races, alongside the 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m relays – she discovered several years ago that relay teams can be entered into on a pool basis, and so the same team of Eithne and female colleagues from London Metropolitan Police, Trinidad & Tobago Fire Service and Puerto Rico Fire Service have competed together ever since. Eithne also tackled the taxing stair race (individual, women’s team and the mixed team) held in the AON Centre in downtown LA, one of the Games’ tougher events.

“It has 64 floors with 1,377 steps – give or take a few. I can’t say I was counting!” says Eithne. “There are two sections in the stair race – you can choose to do it in firefighting gear or without. I chose to do it without as you have to take your own gear and the BA sets are provided at the venue. I met two of our colleagues from Dublin Airport Fire Service who competed in full gear and had fantastic times.

The tallest building I had completed a stair race in prior to this was 30 floors so I did not relish the thoughts of 64. However, as it turned out, it was my best performance to-date.”

Despite attending on her own, Eithne took home a medal haul worthy of a larger DFB contingent. Gold medals were awarded for the 10k crossSUMMER / AUTUMN 48 FIRECALL

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What’s on your

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STATION PROFILE

STATION PROFILE B WATCH DONNYBROOK

The crew of B watch Donnybrook.

THE HOME OF HAZMAT RESPONSE FOR DUBLIN FIRE BRIGADE, CONOR FORREST TOOK A TRIP TO B WATCH DONNYBROOK, HEADED BY S/O JAMES BISSETT.

T

he risk factors faced by the crews of Donnybrook fire station are quite varied, thanks to their location in the heart of Dublin’s southside. Clonskeagh Hospital and The Royal Hospital Donnybrook lie to the west, the RDS to the northeast and UCD due south. Alongside high-rise buildings in nearby Ballsbridge and new apartment blocks in Dún Laoghaire, there’s also the sea to contend with a little more than 2km away. And then there’s the Aviva Stadium, the Covanta Plant in Poolbeg, the nightclub hub of Harcourt Street, and a wide range of private and nursing home accommodation

scattered throughout the district.

All-in-all, an interesting mix.

During my recent trip to No 1, Station Officer James Bissett was on duty – the last time we met was just before Dublin GAA won the first of what would become a treble of All-Ireland Championship triumphs. S/O Bissett (a former Dublin footballer himself) moved from North Strand to Donnybrook two years ago and is celebrating his 30th year in the job this year.

S/O Bissett adds the Luas and the DART to Donnybrook’s considerable list of responsibilities and highlights the station’s expertise in hazardous substance response. Once a call comes through, a special appliance

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STATION PROFILE

'We respond to any chemical incident – the crew are all trained in all aspects of hazardous substances and decontamination.' is dispatched from the station carrying a variety of hazmat response gear including a decontamination tent, a sealed hazmat suit, and additional oxygen tanks in the event of an extended delay.

“We respond to any chemical incident – the crew are all trained in all aspects of hazardous substances and decontamination,” S/O Bissett explains. The first step is identifying the chemical involved, via the control room or through an on-scene examination. Once they have a name or code, it’s a matter

ABOVE: The hazmat response vehicle. BELOW: One of the crew members displays the sealed hazmat suit.

of double checking the required response parameters contained in a reference book or laptop – whether the chemical is corrosive, poisonous or flammable, which firefighting medium should be used, or whether the immediate area should be evacuated – among other concerns.

“The areas we would cordon off would depend on wind direction.

When we’re going to a chemical incident we’re looking at the wind direction – the way we approach it is uphill, upwind. It could be a vapour, it could be airborne, it could be a

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liquid,” S/O Bissett tells me. “Arriving on-scene, the first thing you have to do is identify the substance, then stand back and say ‘what does this substance do, how do we deal with it properly?’ It’s about getting all of that information and making a plan as to what you’re going to do.”

But hazmat response doesn’t just concern itself with the chemical – crews who have already arrived on-scene might have been exposed without the necessary protective gear.

“Local management is very important when you get there,” he adds. “The problem is that when you get there the people that are involved in it may not be wearing any respiratory protection and they’re caught, and you may have to go and do a snatch rescue. [Then] the decontamination unit comes into play. It could be mass decontamination depending on where it is and how many people have been affected. Every incident is different.”

AGE AND INEXPERIENCE Understandably, given the risky nature of responding to chemical incidents, training is a key part of the job for those stationed at No 1.

That’s augmented by words of wisdom between the senior and junior men; the former willing to share what they’ve learned over decades of work.

Ex-Defence Forces Ben Wedick is the station's most senior man on B watch, a 20year veteran of Dublin Fire Brigade.

Ex-Defence Forces soldier Ben Wedick is the station’s most senior man on B watch, a 20-year veteran of Dublin Fire Brigade. Following two years in Townsend Street at the beginning of his career, he transferred to Donnybrook and has been here ever since. Five years into his career he began driving, starting with the old white ambulance which you could drive then with an ordinary car licence.

Enjoying it, he progressed to driving the motors, getting to know the area quite well in the intervening years. Ben explains that he’s happy to pass on his own knowledge as he remembers what it was like to start out in the job.

“I began here as a junior man for about five or six years – it was quite a senior crew here which I learned my trade from. You just watch and you listen instead of jumping in and saying things. It was one of the better moves of my career. Since then a lot of junior guys have passed through here, and I hope I have instilled a bit of my knowledge into them. I’ve worked with a lot of good officers such as Stephen Brady, the ex-Chief Fire Officer – he was my S/O when I came here first,” he says, adding that the banter is what he enjoys most about the job, although once the bell goes that all changes.

“When we have to go out the gates the banter stops. We’re as professional as any guys I’ve ever worked with,” he stresses. “Everybody brings their little bits and pieces to the role. Tom is an ex-nursing student, I’m an ex-military man but I’m also an electrician.

A lot of the lads are well clued-in with life skills that they bring to the fireground whenever we have to.”

Ben also mentions that there’s a great community spirit in No. 1, aided by the fact that the crew all enjoy playing sport, from five-a-side matches against Townsend Street after the night shift to an occasional game of golf, not to mention an annual trip away together in summer or at Christmas. “I’m the oldest firefighter and it makes me feel young having young [people] like Tom in his

S/O James Bissett.

Crew members Tommy Byrne and Ben Wedick.

mid-20s coming in. Because I never grew up myself!” he says with a smile.

TEAMWORK ‘Tom’ is Tommy Byrne, relatively fresh from the OBI having graduated with Class 1/2017. Tommy’s background is in nursing, having studied the subject for three years in college before the chance to join DFB came up, something he believes gave him an advantage when he applied last year. “I always had an idea that I wanted the medical side of things, helping people in any way

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STATION PROFILE

qualities and you come together and make the situation work.”

The benefits of working as part of a cohesive team are something that Joe Brennan, another of the station’s long-serving crew members (now in his 11th year in Donnybrook), can attest to. A second-generation firefighter following in the footsteps of his father Brian, who was stationed in Dolphin’s Barn for 30 years, Joe played hockey at an international level both before he joined the job and in his early years.

These days he’s still involved in the sport as assistant coach to the Irish women’s team, something he tells me wouldn’t be possible without the support of his colleagues. “Both the guys I work with and management are really supportive of me,” he explains.

“Even now I’m involved as the assistant coach for the Irish women’s team and they’re still so supportive in helping me try and represent the fire brigade.”

Joe’s role is one of the most important in any station, having taken over the running of the mess almost a year ago. When I arrive he’s in the middle of preparing for lunchtime, the extractor fan running at full speed, hobs burning brightly, and food moving through a conveyor belt of efficiency from preparation boards to storage plates.

One of DFB’s recent hazmat incidents occurred in a residential area in Clondalkin, where a substance known as trichlorobenzene was discovered in a drum. The chemical is used as a resin hardener for boat hulls, but can also cause respiratory and environmental issues.

Two units responded to the scene, isolated and contained the drum, then safely disposed of it. “A specialist team in hazmat suits dealt with the container to ensure that ‘every eventuality was covered,’ before finishing the operation at approximately 1.30pm,” Newstalk reported at the time.

HAZMAT RESPONSE

I can. I went with nursing and I was going into my final year when this came up. I went for it not knowing if it would go my way or not, but at least it would be experience for the next time it came around – I would be well prepared. Things luckily went my way and I ended up getting in, but it meant I had to put the nursing degree on hold,” he explains.

Tommy is barely six months into his new job, by now part and parcel of the crew on B watch having been welcomed into the fold from the beginning – older crew members like Ben have taken him under their wing, showing him the ropes. Though he hasn’t attended any major incidents as of yet, he has very much experienced the differences between a simulated scenario in the OBI and the real thing.

“The ones I have been at, they are a lot different than [the exercises in] training. But that’s the job, you came in, you did all the training for that, and you’re with colleagues who have years of experience in dealing with this,” he says. “All you do is if you’re not sure, look to them, and they’ll point you in the right direction and make sure you’re doing the right thing.

You adapt, you bring in whatever skills you have – you’re part of a team that all have different skills, different

“My dynamic in work has changed a little bit now because I’ve taken over the mess for the last year,” he says while manhandling a large frying pan. “I enjoy coming out of my comfort zone, being under pressure.

I love meeting people in work, I love the characters in work – that’s what makes the job, the characters. The unpredictability of what’s going to happen in the job is great, dealing with the public, helping people. I love coming into work – there’s a great sense of camaraderie in this station.”

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RETIRED MEMBERS

RETIRED MEMBER PROFILE Rory Mooney

Conor Forrest sat down with retired firefighter Rory Mooney, who spoke about his career with the brigade and his voluntary work with orphaned children affected by the Chernobyl disaster.

I

t’s more than 36 years now since the tragic Stardust fire that saw 48 people lose their lives and a further 214 injured when flames tore through the popular nightclub on Dublin’s northside. The harrowing events of that night have echoed through the proceeding decades, with the findings of the tribunal of inquiry – which concluded arson as the likely cause – disputed ever since.

One of the emergency responders on duty that night was Dublin Fire Brigade firefighter Rory Mooney, relatively new to the job having joined in 1978. Despite having been marked

Outside No. 3 station in Belarus.

for ambulance duty, a colleague on sick leave meant he was tasked with manning the phones that night.

“That was a totally different ballgame,” he explains. “The records of the Stardust are all in my handwriting.

I ended up eight hours on the stand giving evidence in the Stardust Tribunal. The only person who spent longer on the stand, I believe, was the Chief Fire Officer T.P. O’Brien.

Nothing could prepare you for it. I just answered as best I could. ‘And why did you do that?’ ‘Because that’s the way I was trained’. Simple as that.”

Rory’s 31-year career in the brigade

began, as with all recruits back then, with a stint in Tara Street, following 14 weeks of training in Kilbarrack – one of the last classes to do so. He recalls being handed the job of being ‘on the bunk’ at headquarters on his first night, manning the phones from midnight to 6am, and taking the 6am to 9am early relief shift the following morning.

“It’s all computerised these days, but it was pen and paper in my day,” he explains. “But it was good, it was an education in itself. During our training we had to go into Tara Street at least one or two nights and visit the control room and see how it worked, give yourself an insight into what was going on in the place.”

After five years in Tara Street, where he joined other junior men in manning the northside stations whenever there were shortages, Rory was posted to Buckingham Street station on D watch for three years, before moving to Phibsborough where he would spend the rest of his career, eventually retiring in 2009. Back in those days, he says, the ambulance was as busy as it is today, even in 1978. “If you were in work and you knew, for example, that you were on the ambulance on a weekend night, you’d make sure you were well fed and watered before you go into work,” he says. “We were normally very wellreceived wherever we went. Especially

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RETIRED MEMBERS

Marion and Rory.

on the ambulance – anywhere we went people knew we were there to help them. [But] as Nobby Clarke used to say, ‘If your budgie doesn’t sing, call the fire brigade’. And sometimes it seemed like that.”

MAKING A DIFFERENCE For Rory, what brought him into work every day was the opportunity to make a difference to the lives of Dublin’s citizens. “We went out when people were at their lowest, and I mean utter lowest,” he explains. “Their house could be burning down around them or their father may have died, and we would arrive. We tried to make things better.

It’s not always possible – sometimes you have to do a bit of damage in a house to put out the fire, but we tried to leave the people and structure in a better shape than [when] we found it.

That’s what we’re there for really.”

Rory’s desire to help people in wretched circumstances would take him beyond Ireland’s borders. In 1986, while he was based in Phibsborough, the Chernobyl disaster shook the world. On April 26th the No. 4 reactor

at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine was destroyed, releasing radioactive material into the atmosphere, with the fallout spreading across western USSR and Europe.

Thirty-one deaths have been directly attributed to the disaster, alongside deformities and defects in children born in Ukraine and Belarus in the years after the explosion.

“Radiation knows no territorial boundaries, it doesn’t apply for an entry or an exit visa, it travels wherever the winds take it,” said Adi Roche, who founded Chernobyl Children International. “At 1.23 am on 26th April 1986 a silent war was declared against the innocent peoples of Belarus, Western Russia and Northern Ukraine.

A war in which they could not see the enemy, a war in which they could send no standing army, a war in which there was no weapon, no antidote, no safe haven, no emergency exit.

Why? Because the enemy was invisible, the enemy was radiation.”

Many of those children wound up in orphanages, grim facilities that provided a roof over their heads and

regular meals, but precious little else in the way of a normal life. Stirred by their predicament, Rory joined convoys travelling 1,500 miles from Ireland to Belarus by ground, carrying muchneeded medical and humanitarian supplies for the recovery efforts.

“A lot of firefighters died, a lot of children died, and being a father and a firefighter, it tugged at the [heart] strings. So when I had a chance at getting involved I did,” says Rory. His first trip over was in 1996 and by chance he met his future wife Marion the following year, travelling as part of the same convoy. Everything fell into place and their first wedding was at a Russian Orthodox Church on May 4th 2003, but they discovered the marriage wasn’t legal back home. After a four-year wait they were married again in Wales on May 5th 2007. As Marion describes it, “We tried to get as close as we could.

So we’re married ten and 14 years!”

Rory and Marion made the trek to Belarus twice a year for 12 years in total, working with the manual team building playgrounds, putting roofs on portacabins, painting wards, renovating shower facilities and whatever else needed to be done. “You carried the kids out to the open air, you put them on swings and roundabouts and you’d amuse [them] for a couple hours during the day. It was very depressing when you’d leave the orphanage because you’d feel very guilty leaving the kids behind,” he recalls.

Alongside supplies of medicine, furniture, clothes, shoes and much more, the teams also brought gifts for the children in those institutions – simple items like balloons or rugby jerseys that nonetheless made their day. “To see their faces – you’d give them a jersey and they knew it was theirs to keep, because they were used to being handed gear and it being taken from them,” Rory adds.

Rory also made contact with the fire service in Belarus, an under-resourced organisation that did the best job with what it had. On his first trip he brought over a retired hydraulic cutting tool, which was received with great enthusiasm. As luck would have it, that

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RETIRED MEMBERS

LEFT and ABOVE: Rory’s collection of memorabilia.

TOP: Rory explaining that he also worked in No. 3 station and on fire appliance 3-3.

was placed on a tender with the call sign 32 – Rory spent a lot of time on 3-2 based in Phibsborough. That kickstarted a relationship that would last for years, with the Dubliners bringing a gift of equipment each time, including incubators, infusion pumps and even a laparoscopic instrument for keyhole surgeries. Introductions were made with the Chief Fire Officer, they were brought on tours of the fire brigade training college and their museum, and they were made a gift of Russian Fire Brigade china, now on display in the Dublin Fire Brigade museum at the training centre in Marino.

Rory’s colleagues in DFB were instrumental in getting them across the continent every year. Alongside an annual bucket collection on O’Connell Street, the Workshop fitted a fire brigade van with a bed, cooker, fridge and portaloo purchased by Rory and Marion, and insured the pair to drive it. “The Chief Fire Officer at

the time was great,” he adds. “He couldn’t do enough charity-wise.

‘What do you need Rory?’ he’d say.”

THE QUIET LIFE The last few years have by no means been easy for Rory and Marion. Illness forced him out of the job he loved in 2009, having been diagnosed with lung cancer for the first time a year earlier – less than a year after he and Marion were married in Wales. Alongside a back operation and pneumonia he suffered a stroke in 2016, leaving him with short-term memory issues.

To make matters worse, doctors found cancer in his other lung while undergoing tests. A tough situation that’s unimaginable unless you’ve gone through it, it’s clear that the same black humour that many firefighters use as a coping mechanism helped him through some difficult times – he recalls asking a surgeon during his first bout of cancer to save ‘a bit of meat for the cat’.

they were made a gift of russian fire brigade china, now on display in the dublin fire brigade museum at the training centre in marino.

“It’s not a death sentence, it’s just a word. And if you can hang onto that it makes it a bit easier to deal with,” he says. “And it’s not easy to deal with because you don’t know if you’re going to survive, you don’t know if you do survive what way you’re going to be after it. But we got through it. We got through it together.”

It’s also clear that his career as a firefighter means a great deal to him.

A shelf above his stairs (Marion’s handiwork) is home to a collection of memorabilia including helmets, patches and medals, a selection of statues received on his retirement takes pride of place along the fireplace, while two detailed and colourful statues of firefighters, souvenirs from Belarus, stand on duty in the back garden. There’s also a more unusual item – half of a good-sized rock that was thrown through the window of his ambulance as he and Leslie Crow travelled along the Navan Road one day, narrowly missing his ear.

Rory keeps in touch with old colleagues too – he joined the Retired Members Association last year, pops into Phibsborough fire station every few months for a visit, helps Paul Hand in the museum every Thursday, and is one of several veterans of No. 3 known as the ROMEOS – Retired Old Men Eating Out – who meet up every few months for dinner and a catch-up. These are friendships cemented over decades, between people who often placed their lives in one another’s hands.

“Nobby Clarke, the Crow [Leslie Crow] – Leslie was one of the best firefighters I ever worked with. I trained as well with Paul Hand, the curator of the museum in the OBI. He is one of the hardest working firefighters I’ve ever met in my life, he really is,” Rory tells me.

“You’re in situations where your life could literally be hanging on your friendship with somebody else. It’s very much a second family. It was never just a job. You go into it [at the beginning] and it’s just a job, but once you’re there a while it’s a heck of a lot more – it’s a way of life.”

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APPLIANCE TRAINING

A TALL ORDER Conor Forrest caught up with D/O John Rush to discover more about the brigade’s new hydraulic platform.

Training in the OBI. Photo: Emergency One.

F

irefighting rescues and operations involving tall or difficult to access buildings often necessitate the use of either a turntable ladder or a hydraulic platform. Dublin Fire Brigade has recently added one of the latter to its fleet, a MAN SS263 appliance that extends to approximately 86 feet and features a range of updated safety features and increased versatility when compared to the 70-foot SS220 currently in use.

“It’s not used instead of a turntable ladder – they both complement one

another. The turntable ladder has its good points and the hydraulic platform has its good points,” explains District Officer John Rush, a 34-year veteran of the job who was trained in Kilbarrack and today oversees A watch Alpha District. D/O Rush spent a number of years in Dún Laoghaire fire station – where the hydraulic platform is stationed – as a firefighter, and undertook two weeks of platform training before being asked to instruct on its use.

D/O Rush tells me that DFB’s first hydraulic platform went into use during

d/o rush spent a number of years in dÚn laoghaire fire station – where the platform is stationed – as a firefighter. the late 1980s, a 50-foot appliance originally based in Tara Street – Dún Laoghaire became its base of operations following the amalgamation with Dún Laoghaire fire brigade. While the platform can be deployed anywhere within DFB’s jurisdiction, it also goes out any time there’s a general turnout for Dún Laoghaire.

“A lot of the time the platform is used it’s nearly the first thing that is looked for if there’s a big fire. It’s a great piece of kit if you want to work from a height with a water tower. It’s more versatile – there are three booms on it so you can manipulate it a little better,” D/O Rush tells me. “I’ve used it at incidents, especially when I was the station officer in No. 12. I’ve used it to take people off buildings, particularly building sites where perhaps somebody has had an accident.”

INSTRUCTION Until recently, D/O Rush was the sole hydraulic platform instructor in the job, and his move away from Dún Laoghaire meant less time spent

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APPLIANCE TRAINING

D/O John Rush.

Until recently, D/O Rush was the sole hydraulic platform instructor in the job, and his move away from Dún Laoghaire meant less time spent working with the platform on a weekly basis. working with the platform on a weekly basis – necessary if you’re to keep on top of its operation. Given that this new platform will be in service shortly, and with D/O Rush coming towards the end of his career in the brigade, he was asked to train a new team of

instructors for the next generation of platform operators. Three instructors based in No. 12 were chosen and D/O Rush, working with emergency appliance builder Emergency One, ran a comprehensive course covering the ins and outs of the SS263’s features

and operation, including several demonstrations of its capabilities across Dublin City, at Trinity College, on Mary Street and other locations. “It’s versatile and nearly foolproof, but you still have to know what you’re doing to use it safely,” says D/O Rush.

Currently the new platform is with the Workshop, with a trip to No. 12 with the driving instructors to follow – at 12m long the SS263 is no easy machine to navigate through heavy traffic and narrow city streets. “It’s probably one of the longest appliances in the job at the minute,” D/O Rush explains. “You have to be a bit more careful driving it around – there’s an overhang at the front and then a cage hanging from the back. With some of the smaller streets around the city you may have to be really careful.”

Once the instructors can safely navigate Dublin’s highways and byways, the next step will be training the crew of No. 12 to safely operate the new platform – the set of controls inside the cabin and in the cage, and the vehicle’s jacking system. The latter is one of the most important safety features and needs to be extended correctly each time. Fail to do so and you could wind up with the platform on its side.

“If it’s not right and some of the safety features are not adhered to it could easily go over,” he says.

“Normally there’s a crew of three on the appliance – a sub-officer, a driver, and a cage operator. The cage man goes into the cage and goes up, and the driver then operates the jacking and all of the base controls. He’s the important person in the job – it’s really important that the driver/operator has everything sorted and that the platform is jacked properly before it’s operated."

Once the crew of No. 12 finish their training on the new appliance it will be ready to enter service wherever required. D/O Rush is confident that the platform will boost Dublin Fire Brigade’s capability in responding to high-rise and other incidents. “It’s probably one of the best platforms I’ve encountered in the job,” he says. “It’s a step up again, another level.”

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MASS CASUALTY INCIDENT

TESTING SKILLS: T

MASS CASUALTIES ON THE LUAS Dublin Fire Brigade's latest mass casualty incident was held in July, with trainee paramedics responding to a simulated large-scale terrorist attack in Broadstone, writes Conor Forrest.

rainee Dublin Fire Brigade paramedics were given a baptism of fire last July, tasked with responding to an unknown mass casualty incident on the Luas line between Broadstone and Cabra, revealed as a terrorist attack with a large number of injured and deceased civilians.

Dublin Fire Brigade has had a working relationship with Luas over the past number of years concerning the ongoing Crosscity works, ensuring they can respond to emergencies in and around roadworks adjacent to the new Luas line. The track is due to open to the public by the end of the year, but DFB officials wanted to run an exercise with Luas before trams hit the tracks. And, given events of the last year in London, Manchester, Paris and Nice, it became clear that the opportunity to train for a potential terrorist attack on Irish soil could prove highly useful.

Third Officer John Keogh made the initial contact with Luas and other stakeholders – a long process involving indemnities, insurance and other administrative tasks, with final approval coming just four weeks before the deadline. The Luas line between Broadstone and Cabra was

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MASS CASUALTY INCIDENT

ABOVE: The scene of the incident. Photos courtesy Trevor Hunt and John Keogh.

chosen because it’s one of the few sections isolated from the main roads, winding along the old rail network.

“Using Broadstone as the base, we saw the opportunity of checking out some of the scenarios that might be in place if an incident happened on the Luas track where we hadn’t got direct access off the road. It was an opportunity we didn’t really want to miss out on,” T/O Keogh explains.

ORGANISATION With permission granted for the exercise to go ahead in Phibsboro, the task of organising the incident itself fell to paramedic tutors A/SOFF Karl Kendellen and A/S/O Derek Rooney, charged with fleshing out the details and looking after everything from logistics to compliance with health and safety, traffic management and more. They crafted a highly realistic scenario for what would be

the largest mass casualty exercise in DFB history, with 44 trainee paramedics, 60 casualties, and members of the gardaí, ERU, ASU, the Civil Defence, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Luas among those involved on the day.

Testing both the skills of the paramedics and communication lines between DFB and Luas, the exercise began with a call confirming a potential terrorist incident on the line, with an ambulance manned by two recruits arriving from Phibsboro fire station – the station that would turn out to a real incident along this route. The scenario saw four terrorists crashing a car into a tram, overturning the vehicle on the tracks before entering the tram and shooting and stabbing passengers. A second incident later in the day saw an attack on another tram by a second terrorist cell.

“One of the things we did differently from previous years, and to try and make it more realistic, was that we staggered the response and the numbers that were allowed into the incident at any particular time,”

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MASS CASUALTY INCIDENT

says A/SOFF Karl Kendellen. “If an incident happened for real in Dublin, we wouldn’t have 30 or 40 paramedics turning up at the same time – you might only have one or two fire appliances or ambulances, depending on the information that’s given.”

Members of the Garda Emergency Response Unit (ERU), backed by the Armed Support Unit (ASU), cleared the scene before the paramedics could begin triage as per the PHECC clinical practice guidelines.

Patients were removed by order of severity to a treatment tent before transportation to a field hospital set up in No. 3 and manned by Dr Niamh Collins, a consultant in emergency medicine who is heavily involved in the DFB training programme – a training exercise for her team also.

“It’s really important for us to build up links with these people.

These are agencies that we are working with all of the time – a smiling face of somebody you know helps, particularly in a highly tense environment like this,” says co-organiser A/S/O Derek Rooney, whose primary brief was to produce a risk assessment for the exercise, identifying potential hazards and ensuring the risks were controlled. “[The recruits] were brilliant, in fairness to them. They had a carry, from the initial incident near Broadstone, of approximately 400m. They were in full PPE, which obviously is hard work anyway, carrying 15 or 16 stone – colleagues

and members of the public who volunteered and were moulaged (mock injuries), so they had reallife injuries, and a lot of them were shouting and roaring which put a lot of pressure on the recruits. It went very well. A thorough success from everyone concerned.”

LESSONS LEARNED The exercise was a huge success, a large-scale operation that went off without a hitch, and the paramedic trainees excelled on the day. The exercise also highlighted where DFB’s response to such an incident could be improved and further strengthened the links between the emergency response agencies and medical crews who would work sideby-side in the event of a real attack.

“It was great to be a part of, it was a real achievement by everybody. The work that the paramedic tutors and the paramedic trainees themselves put in into making it a success just can’t be quantified,” says T/O Keogh, who notes the efforts made

by Broadstone, Luas, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Dublin Civil Defence, Sisk, the Order of Malta and St. John’s Ambulance in ensuring everything went as planned, and for facilitating their every need on the day. “I just can’t describe how much of a success it really was. To have everybody fully compliant, doing what they were tasked to do without any problem whatsoever – it was a pleasure to be involved in.”

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COMMERCIAL FEATURE

TACKLING THE THREAT FROM GORSE FIRES

We examine the threat and damage caused by annual gorse fires.

A

pril and May 2017 witnessed yet another spate of gorse fire outbreaks across the country, damaging and destroying thousands of acres of forest and bogland, for the most part in Roscommon and Sligo, harming the habitats of Irish wildlife, impacting air quality, and placing the lives of emergency responders in danger. The monetary cost of these fires is also significant – Cloosh Valley Coillte forest in Galway suffered damage amounting to millions of euro. The impact of these fires was to such an extent that patches of burned land could be seen from space via NASA’s Terra satellite.

“Uncontrolled gorse fires threaten leisure activities such as camping and caravanning. But as well as being potentially fatal to humans, the fires threaten wildlife and many areas of beauty across the county,” Donegal County Council states on its website.

“Many animals are unable to escape from fire and will be burnt. Birds can fly away but the nests and eggs that are left behind are destroyed.”

The fires continued throughout the summer, with crews from Dublin Fire Brigade turning out to locations in the Dublin Mountains in July and August.

Some of the blame for the blazes was attributed to dry conditions, but others suggested that deliberate fires were set by farmers in order to clear gorse from the land. The plant can be difficult to clear – farmers sometimes

practice managed burning of gorse to regenerate their land, even though the Department of Agriculture notes that ‘mechanised removal’ is a more effective long-term option. Under the Wildlife Act, setting fire to growing vegetation between March 1st and August 31st is currently illegal – offenders faced prosecution if found responsible.

Gorse fires are common during spells of dry weather, and can quickly spread through flammable vegetation.

They can be difficult to extinguish due to the size of the area involved, often stretching across hundreds of hectares. High volume pumps are often deployed to aid the firefighting operations alongside firefighting

planes and helicopters carrying large buckets of water – appliances can face difficulties reaching fires across rough terrain.

“The lighting of wildfires is causing widespread devastation. It is illegal and must stop before an even bigger tragedy occurs,” Trevor McHugh, from Irish Foresty and Forest Productions Association member and forestry company Veon, said earlier this year. “The fires that have already occurred must be thoroughly investigated. Thousands of jobs rely on Ireland’s forestry sector and, beyond this, Ireland relies upon its rural environment for agriculture, tourism and recreational purposes. These fires are a threat to all of this.”

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COMMERCIAL FEATURE

FIGHTING GORSE FIRES IN SLIGO Chief Fire Officer Gerry O’Malley, Sligo Fire Service, spoke to Firecall about the threat of gorse fires in Co. Sligo.

S

ligo Fire Service serves the area of County Sligo on the Northwestern seaboard, operating four fire stations in Sligo, Ballymote, Tubbercurry and Enniscrone which are manned by 45 firefighters. The main risk factors in the county are Sligo IT, Sligo University Hospital, industrial, residential, forestry and transportation (N4, N15, N16, N17 and N59 national primary roads).

Every year during the period April/ May the fire service in Sligo responds to gorse and forest fires. According to Chief Fire Officer Gerry O’Malley, this is a particularly busy time of year and

these incident types cause considerable damage to the environment and private and public lands.

“May of this year saw all stations in Sligo mobilised to gorse and forest fires for five continuous days,” he explains. “This results in a considerable drain on fire service resources potentially stripping the county of its firefighting assets. The cost to the fire service over that five-day period was approximately €150,000.”

However, the cost of damage to the environment and private and public property was considerably more. Approximately 500 acres of Coillte forestry was destroyed, as

well as private forestry. There were also approximately another 1,500 acres of forestry and 2,000 acres of commonage damaged during the fires. The effects are widespread – gorse and forest fires have a knock-on impact on the indigenous wildlife living in these habitats. Private houses have also been threatened and in some cases damaged by gorse and forest fires.

“Sligo Fire Service urges members of the public to be vigilant at this time of year and if you see a gorse or forest fire, ring 999 or 112 immediately,” CFO O’Malley warns.

IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY DIAL 999 OR 112 FOR GENERAL ENQUIRIES CONTACT: SLIGO FIRE SERVICE HEADQUARTERS, ST. ANNES PLACE, SLIGO

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PARAMEDIC TRAINING

TRAINING FOR THE FRONTLINE

A cohort of 46 Dublin Fire Brigade recruits recently completed 12 weeks of paramedic training at the OBI. We caught up with Course Director A/S/O Paul Creevey to find out more about what's involved.

I

f you have a heart attack in Dublin, your chances of survival are among the highest in the world, ranking second after the US city of Seattle. That’s largely due to Dublin Fire Brigade firefighters’ dual role as paramedics – no matter where you fall ill, there’s bound to be a paramedic close by whether in a station or on an appliance or ambulance.

The paramedic training each individual undergoes is comprehensive, completed in partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). During their initial training, recruits spend 12 weeks in the classroom in preparation for the first part of the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) National Qualification in Emergency Medical Technology (NQEMT) assessment.

Once successful they’re entered onto the PHECC professional register as a paramedic intern, and then go on to complete several weeks as a third person on the ambulance at one of DFB’s stations, as well as clinical placements in the field in adult and paediatric emergency departments, maternity hospitals, coronary care units, and on one of the brigade’s advanced paramedic (AP) vehicles.

Documentation is key, and the interns keep a record of every case they encounter, which has to be signed off by their station officer. The next step is to sit the second part of the

ABOVE and THROUGHOUT: Paramedic students at the mass casualty training exercise.

Photos courtesy John Keogh and Trevor Hunt.

NQEMT assessment, followed by another, year-long, internship featuring various competency assessments and professional development modules.

Once they finish the programme, which takes two years to complete, they’re awarded a diploma from the RCSI and enter the PHECC register at Paramedic level.

The latest paramedic class, consisting of 46 Dublin firefighters and a further two from Dublin Airport, was overseen

by Acting S/O Paul Creevey, having

spent the previous two iterations as the assistant course director, ably assisted by eight tutors and a number of assistant tutors when the need arose.

“There is an awful lot that we teach, it’s a lot more than just the skills of a paramedic or the anatomy/ physiology of the body,” he explains, noting that the recruits receive what’s best described as an allround, comprehensive education in paramedicine. “We teach them communication skills, we teach them

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safety skills, we teach them safe practices and we teach them to work together as a team. We’ve progressed from ‘ambulance drivers’ as we used to be called... we’re literally bringing the Resus department to the patient now, we’re reducing their door to needle time and we’re stabilising them for their door to scalpel time. We’re the second safest city in the world now which is fantastic – the standard of care, the quality of care that people in Dublin get in particular is phenomenal.”

EDUCATION Ensuring the efficient imparting of so much information and knowledge across what is essentially a short space of time requires a lot of forward planning, as well as cooperation, between the team of directors and tutors. The timetables were established months in advance by Paul and his assistant course director Niall O’Reilly, and twice-daily meetings were held with the tutors throughout the course, ensuring everyone was kept up-to-date. There were other challenges too, such as ensuring an effective tutor to student ratio.

“At most we try to have the ratio of tutor to student as low as we can.

I received permission to have eight

syndicates of six as opposed to six syndicates of eight – that meant that I had access to eight tutors and then assistant tutors as well,” he explains.

“The tutors we have at the moment are extremely experienced. Quite a lot of them are advanced paramedics (APs), although that’s not a prerequisite. You don’t have to be an AP but that tends to be the direction that they take – because there are so many educational requirements to become an AP or a tutor they marry together really well.”

The topics on the course are varied, covering anatomy, physiology, the respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous and musculoskeletal systems, dealing with geriatric patients, and an entire week dedicated to environmental emergencies. But, as A/S/O Creevey explains, it’s not simply about learning how to perform a specific skill or procedure, but developing the ability to see the bigger picture.

In the lead-up to the assessment the recruits are put through a range of integrated scenarios that build in complexity each week, with the aim of providing them with the skills and mindset required to walk through the door of someone’s home, quickly, accurately and effectively review the situation, and take the correct action.

This latest class, he notes, performed admirably. “I was delighted, extremely impressed,” he says.

The clinical assessments at the end of the programme were designed by Station Officer Kevin Sheahan, with input from RCSI Medical Director Dr Niamh Collins. Given their complexity, two examiners are used – one focusing entirely on patient assessment and the other assessing the student’s clinical skills and knowledge.

“Even though the scenario runs itself, it has become so complex that it would be unfair to the examiner to have only one, and unfair to the student

Unaware of what they were facing, the recruits were called to a scene where terrorists had hijacked a car.

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to be examined by only one person that might miss something. And ultimately unfair to the patient on the road in case they [the student] are passed on something that they shouldn’t have been passed on,” says A/S/O Creevey.

“They [the scenarios] were extremely complex and the regulator that was here for quality control was actually quite impressed and mentioned how impressed they were with the complexity of the assessment.”

INTER-AGENCY COOPERATION A/S/O Creevey acknowledges that the course would never have been successful if not for the input of a number of individuals and organisations. Alongside Assistant Course Director Niall O’Reilly and the team of tutors and assistant tutors, a number of fellow agencies contributed to the course, particularly before, during and after the mass casualty training exercise in Broadstone in July. Alongside An Garda Síochána’s Emergency Response Unit and the Civil Defence, the RCSI, HSE, Luas and Dublin Bus were all involved in getting the largest exercise Dublin Fire Brigade has ever hosted off the ground.

Unaware of what they were facing,

the recruits were called to a scene where terrorists had hijacked a car and crashed into a Luas, with a number of civilians having been shot. Organised by tutors A/SOFF Karl Kendellen and A/S/O Derek Rooney the exercise went off without a hitch, allowing the recruits to put their skills and knowledge to use in a high-pressure environment.

“We fully achieved all of the learning objectives for our students, but we were also able to facilitate an unknown training exercise for the ERU, which was fantastic,” says A/S/O Creevey.

“Normally only one tutor would be assigned to the task, but it was such a large task that I wanted to assign two of them. They did a fantastic job.”

THE DUST SETTLES The students have since departed from the OBI, on to the next step in their paramedic training, and in A/S/O Creevey’s office the dust is settling, paperwork is being completed, and he’s looking forward to a return to operational duties.

Still, he’s proud of his contribution to the next cohort of DFB paramedics and of their hard work throughout the previous 12 weeks, not to mention the faculty support.

“I couldn’t be more proud of

The situations DFB paramedics find themselves in on a daily basis are undoubtedly wide-ranging, requiring the ability to adapt and respond to certain circumstances, to keep a level head, and to perhaps compartmentalise in traumatic cases. I ask A/S/O Creevey about the skills they look for in budding paramedics and he answers immediately.

“Communication,” he states. “Your interpersonal skills and communication is so important, it’s unbelievable. The job we do is very complex, an extremely high percentage of your job is your communication skills.

Your caring, your attitude, your approach – it’s really important. So that’s something that we focus quite a lot on, and the RCSI as a college supports us tremendously in that.”

KEY SKILLS

PARAMEDIC TRAINING

[them]. With such a large class – and these guys have had a significant bit of operational experience – their attitude made my job so much easier. The faculty that I was given to facilitate the programme – they had such an invested interest in it,” he tells me, noting that a “logistical hurricane” was successfully navigated due to the fact that everyone pulled together.

“It’s extremely complex,” he adds.

“I just want to thank everyone that supported to me – Third Officer John Keogh, D/O Mark Wilson, former Brigade Training Officer Gerry Stanley and the new BTO Martin Gallagher, D/O Paul Lambert who I directly report to, and all of the tutors and assistant tutors that helped me to run this course. And I’d also like to thank my assistant course director Niall O’Reilly. Everybody pulled together, because you cannot achieve this without having everybody onboard.”

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GREG MATTHEWS

A LENS ON LIFE R

Retired Station Officer Greg Matthews chats about his career in Dublin Fire Brigade and how his passion for photography is occupying his retirement.

etired Station Officer Greg Matthews has undoubtedly led an interesting and varied life. Born in 1961, the middle child in a family of five, he grew up in Ballyfermot and followed a path as a motor mechanic before pursuing his childhood dream of becoming a firefighter. Now that he’s retired, some 30-odd years later, he spends his time pursuing several hobbies, among them street photography.

“The fire brigade was something that I had always longed to get into, something I thought would be a great job to do,” he tells me.

Greg was one of 42 firefighters in Class 1/1985, the first class to experience training in the then brand-new O’Brien Training Institute in Marino, which he describes as a ‘new dawn’ for Dublin Fire Brigade.

Over the following 25 years he would work in every fire station across the

job on A, B and C watch, and earn promotion first to sub officer and then station officer, the latter something he wanted to achieve since his first day. “To become a station officer was my ultimate goal – I didn’t really bother going for promotion after that point,” he explains with a laugh.

“I was happy to reach that point.”

As we chat, Greg reminisces about a fulfilling career that encompassed a variety of strands. He recalls working in the ISO section at a time when DFB was striving to achieve the quality mark for its fire and ambulance services (something that had never been achieved before); earning a Guinness World Record as part of the team that beat the Germans’ distance in pushing a pump for 24 hours; and coming full circle as he returned to the OBI to mould several classes of recruits (he was also chosen as one of the brigade’s first swiftwater rescue instructors, a clear source of pride).

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GREG MATTHEWS

“I completed two batches of recruit training, back-to-back, which is very difficult to do as an instructor.

Training recruits is probably one of the most challenging things you can do but it is also one of the most rewarding – you are given seven guys fresh in off the street and you have to turn them into firefighters six months later,” he says. “When I’m reading Firecall it’s great to see recruits who I trained are now sub officers and station officers and they’re training recruits. I get a great kick out of that.

There can’t be anything better than to think ‘There’s a guy that I trained and he’s reached a very high standard’.”

NEW ADVENTURES After a busy career, Greg retired from DFB in 2010 on medical grounds, having developed a problem with one of his hips from running marathons.

At the time, he explains, he was relatively happy to leave, feeling that

he had made a significant contribution to the brigade over those years and feeling ready to explore other avenues of interest with his newfound free time. His first port of call was yachting and he earned a licence as a day skipper following a number of sailing courses. Next up – photography.

It was something that had lingered in his mind since he was a child – his father would bring home The Irish Press and Greg would comb the pages examining every detail of renowned photographer Austin Finn’s black and white photos of ordinary Dubliners going about their daily lives, even cutting them out for inclusion in a treasured scrapbook. Over the proceeding decades Greg would take photos now and then – perhaps on holiday – and people would comment on how they were a cut above the norm. Curious as to what separated his creations from others, he decided to do a photography course with

Dublin Camera Club (where he met his partner Trudy). Though he struggled with the technical side of photography – exposition, shutter speed, focus and more – it gave him the freedom to create better images and bring his mind’s eye to life. Clearly he’s got a flair for it, having been named Irish Street Photographer of the Year in 2015 (as well as winning Street Photograph of the Year), with an exhibition of his photos held in Filmbase in Temple Bar that same year in memory of his late father. His increasing profile has also resulted in numerous invitations to speak at camera clubs around the country, sharing the lessons he has learned behind the camera.

Shot for the most part in black and white, Greg’s photos tell a story, capturing intimate moments in time that might otherwise go unnoticed – a family enjoying a picnic on the beach in Bray, an elderly couple making their

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GREG MATTHEWS

way over the Ha’Penny Bridge, a man cycling through Glasnevin Cemetery.

His style is quite artistic with many of his photos reminiscent of a painting; candid images of ordinary life inspired not only by Austin Finn but also Henri Cartier-Bresson, considered a master of street photography.

Greg is reluctant to pigeonhole his work into any one category, instead following a few simple rules that guide the sights on his lens.

“Though I call myself a street photographer, it’s very hard to define what street photography is. For me, my photography is capturing people going about their daily lives,” he explains. “The person doesn’t know that their photograph is being taken. There has to be some point of interest in the image, there has to be something happening. A lot of people... they just think it’s photographs of people walking on the street and for me it’s not that.”

Greg’s photos are bolstered by the fact that his subjects are unaware they are being photographed, displaying real emotions rather than a hastily assembled smile. A lot of his shooting is done from the hip, pointing and clicking the shutter through a café window or while stopped in the middle of a footpath. In the first few years the loud click from his Canon 5D Mark II would give the game away, so he took to coughing while he pressed the shutter to mask the sound, or would wait until a bus passed by on the road. He eventually opted for a Fuji X-T1, a much quieter, more discreet option that allows him to blend in a bit better with the crowds.

“As soon as you hit the shutter they look and they know – the moment is lost,” he says. “A lot of the time when I’m out doing my street photography I try to blend in and look like a tourist. If I’m walking down Moore Street and the dealers are looking at

me I just look back at them. I find if you’re trying to be too discreet people are wondering what you’re at.”

Patience is the name of the game for Greg, who spends hours on the streets of Dublin observing life as it passes by and waiting for the right shot to enter his frame. Take Temple Bar Lady, his award-winning photo of a solitary woman walking along an empty laneway in Temple Bar. Having found the location, Greg repeatedly returned in search of the perfect canvas free from crowds, delivery vans or dustbins awaiting collection.

A bit of luck, too, has its role to play. Having lined up a candid shot of one of Dublin’s characters, Greg surreptitiously pressed the shutter just as the man yawned.

The result is a fantastic image of life’s mundanity – the ‘open’ sign in the background complementing the open-mouthed focus. “You still have to be there to get it,” he adds.

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Fitness has played an important role in Greg’s life, something he really got into once he joined Dublin Fire Brigade – as a station officer in Rathfarnham he would often take the watch on a daily run through the surrounding streets.

Alongside cross-country running with Liffey Valley Harriers in Islandbridge, kayaking with his sons, and running marathons in Dublin and Belfast, Greg also enjoyed cycling, which he used for the benefit of charity. He tells me about his involvement in fundraising tours for the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, including a 500-mile cycle around Florida and a trip from Brisbane to Sydney. “I was always happy to use the sports that I was interested in to raise some money for different charities,” he recalls.

And then there’s the ability to react to your surroundings, to recognise the potential for a fantastic shot and to take it without missing the moment.

One of those moments arrived at Greg’s feet (literally) in 2016, during one of the 1916 commemorative events in Dublin’s Merrion Square.

Hearing a commotion behind him, Greg turned to see Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams in attendance, surrounded by crowds taking photos.

With Adams out of reach and McGuinness close by, Greg quickly dropped to his feet and pointed the camera towards the sky. When McGuinness passed away in January 2017 the resultant shot went viral – from a profile picture for Sinn Féín’s Mary Lou McDonald on Facebook to being blown up and displayed at McGuinness’ month’s mind in New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

“I knew the shot I wanted to get when I saw him. If I had kept it at eye

level you would see hundreds of people behind him,” says Greg. “It’s obviously one of those photographs I’m proud of because it has become iconic. It’s a real moment in time photograph.

That’s the way I think of it.”

EMPTY PAGES These days Greg is taking something of a break as he battles an illness.

That’s not to say that he’s twiddling his thumbs – his back catalogue of photos waiting to undergo processing includes shots taken while in New York City for St. Patrick’s Day last year as well as memories from a road trip along Route 66. “I haven’t finished taking photographs – there’s a lot of photographs I still want to take,” he notes.

I ask Greg about what draws him to the streets with his camera in hand, what motivates him to seek out the candid moments that have become his signature, to stake out a location for hours in search of the perfect shot. “When I’m out taking

KEEPING FIT

GREG MATTHEWS

photographs I can get lost in my own little world, I don’t think of anything else,” he says. “I think that’s what I enjoy about it. I’m in a different world when I’m taking photographs – the normal world disappears and I’m in a bit of a dreamlike state. All that I can think of is the camera, the photograph and the end result.”

Before I leave, our conversation turns once more to the time he spent with Dublin Fire Brigade – the fact that he treasures those years evident by the smile on his face and the pride in his tone. Greg singles out the comradeship in the job as one of the highlights, getting to know the individuals on your crew and how best to work with them.

“I’ve had a brilliant and varied career in DFB,” he adds. “For me, it was all about being in the right place at the right time and never refusing to take up any role that was offered to me. There was never a day that I didn’t look forward to going in.”

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FRONTLINE PARADE

PARADE

Emergency services personnel took to the streets as part of the annual FESSEF parade in September.

T

he annual Frontline and Emergency and Security Services Éire Forum (FESSEF) parade took to Dublin city’s streets once more in September, with around 1,000 emergency services personnel marching from Parnell Square to the grounds of Trinity College.

A fantastic display of uniformed personnel, marching bands and gleaming machinery, the procession attracted large crowds of admirers along the parade route, led once more by members of An Garda Síochána on motorbikes and bicycles and passing underneath the national flag held aloft by two DFB appliances.

The marchers included Irish Army veterans, members of the Irish Prison Service, Dublin Fire Brigade

(including the Pipe Band), An Garda Síochána, the National Ambulance Service, the Civil Defence, the RNLI, Order of Malta and more.

“Frontline workers are out there to serve the public and that’s what we do as an organisation – always have and always will – and that’s what all the other services do as well. Days like this are always very positive because it creates more interagency activity and cooperation and it fosters one-to-one relationships when required,” Garda Chief Superintendent Kevin Gralton said at the launch of the event.

The parade concluded at Trinity College Dublin where a static showcase had been underway since earlier that morning. Various demonstrations were on view for the public milling around, including

Photos courtesy Trevor Hunt & John Keogh

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FRONTLINE PARADE

CPR, bomb disarmament, highline rescues and first aid. “It went really well and it’s building up,” explains DFB Third Officer John Keogh. “It’s an opportunity for the emergency services to be seen by the public all in the one area – the police, fire, ambulance, all of the volunteers who you are relying on to come together and help out in times of emergency. It’s a good showcase for the voluntary organisations and the emergency services to come together. To see us in a more social

aspect is a big advantage and the kids get quite a kick out of it.”

There are other benefits for DFB and its colleagues in emergency response, including the chance to meet people and develop relationships, which could prove advantageous in the event of an incident. “The more and more that you meet these people, when it comes to a real event you know that you might recognise a face or you might know them by name,” T/O Keogh explains.

He also makes the point that, as a national organisation celebrating national emergency services, the possibility of moving the annual parade outside Dublin on occasion should be considered. “Let the people in Cork, Limerick, Kilkenny, Killarney etc. have the parade down through their town to show what the emergency services are doing,” he adds. “There can be too much focus on Dublin at times – it would be nice to see it expand out around the country.”

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ORGANISATION The organisation of DFB’s involvement each year is no simple matter, with myriad tasks ranging from organising the flags to recruiting the colour party. Without volunteers, T/O Keogh notes, it simply wouldn’t happen.

Twelve off-duty firefighters gave up their free time to march with each of the station flags, along with the Pipe Band and Dublin Fire Brigade flags; Ken Reynolds and Brian Campion volunteered to spend the day manning DFB’s presence in Trinity College, while Ger Corcoran and Declan Rice, C watch No 3, organised the colour party. The four appliances there on the day were all operational, ready to leave the parade in the event of an emergency. “We were quite prepared in the middle of the route if they had to drive off left or right and go to an incident,” says T/O Keogh. “It would show the 24/7 operation that DFB provides. The 999 ethos is that whether you’re having your dinner or you’re in a parade, if you have to go to an incident you just drop everything – the emergency event takes precedence.”

MUSICAL SHOW This year FESSEF organisers added an extra day to the calendar of events, with a concert held at the SUMMER / AUTUMN 78 FIRECALL

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Pro-Cathedral the evening before the parade. Featuring the musical talents of the Dublin Fire Brigade and National Ambulance Service Pipe Bands, as well as the Garda Band, tribute was paid to colleagues who lost their lives in the line of duty, including the crew of Coast Guard Rescue 116 and Garda Tony Golden.

The Midlands Prison choir leant their voices to the evening, as did a section of RTÉ’s Philharmonic choir. Ticket sales from the event raised funds for Bumbleance, the RLNI charities, and O.N.E. (ex-service personnel).

From DFB’s perspective, the Pipe Band put hours of practice into their performance, working with the

National Ambulance Service Pipe Band to ensure both were playing at the same pitch, alongside several practice sessions with the Garda Band on timings. The DFB Pipe Band’s last collaboration with the NAS was playing with Andri Rae in the 3Arena; this was the first time the three principal response agencies in Dublin played as one.

“The concert on the Friday night was a huge success,” T/O Keogh explains.

“By all accounts, from the people who were at it and paid their money, the show was a spectacle for them and spectacular in so many ways. Hopefully that will continue to build up over the years and get better and better.”

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Joanne Doyle

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SYRIA TO SWORDS Defence Forces NCO Joanne Doyle has spent a year working with Dublin Fire Brigade as part of her postgraduate advanced paramedic internship.

L

ebanon. Liberia. Chad. The Golan Heights. Swords. One of these is not like the other.

The latter, along with Finglas and Tara Street, is where advanced paramedic Sgt. Joanne Doyle – a non-commissioned officer (NCO) with the Defence Forces – spent the best part of the last year, attached to Dublin Fire Brigade while completing her AP internship. Joanne is usually based in the Defence Forces Training Centre in the Curragh, Co Kildare, but her drive to improve her skills within the medical and paramedic fields have seen her career take an interesting tangent.

“I joined the medical unit earlier on in my career – I liked the medical end of things. I did a paramedic course in 2005 – all of the trips that I’ve completed overseas have been from a medical perspective. The opportunity to join the advanced paramedic course came up after my return from the Golan Heights, so I thought it was a good opportunity and decided to do it,” she explains.

Joanne’s background is in training, and she taught in the medical school in the Defence Forces training centre for a number of years. She was promoted several years ago to the rank of sergeant, and is now in charge of the outpatients department for the training centre. “It deals with occupational medicine, primary healthcare – any soldiers presenting sick, for annual medicals etc.,” she says. “I still teach in the Defence Forces and you’re still expected to be a soldier as well as a paramedic. I have been trained in different spheres,

not just the medical aspects. In that respect not every day is the same – no more than working on an ambulance here! Every day is different.”

All Defence Forces recruits follow a similar path – 17 weeks of basic training, followed by 3 Star training, and specialist training courses at a later stage. Joanne always had an interest in further education and set her sights on joining one of the core units – staffed by soldiers with a specialised skill. Her first step was to complete a ten-week military medical course in the Curragh followed by ambulance-based skills, including the use of a defibrillator.

In 2005 she undertook a paramedic course with the National Ambulance Service, learning skills that would stand to her on a number of overseas missions. Deploying overseas with other United Nations peacekeepers can be an interesting experience, not least because you have an opportunity to work with people of different nationalities and backgrounds and see how they approach certain challenges or situations.

“When I was in Syria I worked with Fijian soldiers. A lot of them were civilians who were contracted in to work for the army for two years – they spent two years overseas. They come with huge clinical backgrounds,” says Joanne. “The two types of missions that we do are peacekeeping and peace enforcement. Normally all personnel are based in a camp and the situation would dictate whether you would do a ten-day patrol or whether the area needs to be patrolled. But everything that leaves

the camp, such as patrols, there’s always an ambulance and there’s always a doctor. Sometimes you’re just based in a camp looking after the medical welfare of the personnel – there are always slips, trips, falls, different types of injuries. Spending six months overseas, people get sick or they get injured. [But] you’re still a soldier, so you’re still carrying a weapon, you just carry all your other items and a medical bag [too].”

BACK TO THE BOOKS It’s two years now since Joanne first began training as an AP through University College Dublin (UCD), having decided to take the next step in her career, a process she describes as challenging, though made easier by the Defence Forces’ policy of allowing students like Joanne to focus on their studies. Although her work in the Defence Forces won’t make use of her skills as often as a shift in Dublin City might, she felt that the ability to make greater clinical interventions, particularly in difficult situations overseas, would stand to her and those under her care.

“You need to be able to provide interventions, give some sort of medication for pain relief, utilise a more advanced set of skills to provide more clinical benefits to the patient that you’re dealing with,” she tells me.

“If we deal with Irish soldiers that are injured, they usually aren’t injured badly. But we don’t always have helicopters to evacuate them. If I need to move a patient you don’t always have that facility, so you’re managing the patient for that bit longer – you could be waiting a few hours before air support arrives. Here you’ll get an ambulance within a reasonable length of time; you don’t overseas because the operational situation is obviously different.”

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ADVANCED PARAMEDIC

the three stations were chosen to give joanne a broad overview of the incidents dfb aps and paramedics deal with on a daily basis, with different population profiles and risk factors.

Her first contact with Dublin Fire Brigade occurred during the Block 3 internship, a six-week stint on the road supervised by a doctor or professor in medicine. Once she had passed her exams, Joanne was keen to complete her postgraduate internship with DFB, realising that it would provide her with a wide range of experiences and learning on the job, not to mention a rank structure and a team spirit ethos similar to that of the Defence Forces. Some informal enquiries were made, followed by a formal meeting – the issue of indemnity from the Department of Defence had to be resolved among others, although Joanne describes this process as ‘straightforward’.

“I thought that Dublin Fire Brigade was a much better option for the volume and variety of calls, and exposure to different types of clinical situations. My interaction with the Defence Forces was limited for the year, because the Defence Forces will let you gain your exposure

and your experience for 12 months before you return,” she explains.

Her initial point of contact in DFB was Third Officer John Keogh, a former member of the Defence Forces himself, who investigated the possibility of Joanne coming on board for the year and worked with EMS Support Officer Martin O’Reilly to sort out indemnity, insurance cover, Garda clearance and the myriad administrative issues that had to be overcome. During her 12-month stint Joanne worked on C watch, primarily between Swords and Finglas, with weekly shifts on the AP car based out of HQ and several weeks in No 8, broadening the range and type of incidents to which she responded.

“Martin O’Reilly dealt with my schedule. He was absolutely fantastic, I always received it weeks in advance,” she says. “I always knew where I was going – it was very professional.”

Those three stations were chosen to give Joanne a broad overview of the incidents DFB APs and paramedics deal with on a daily basis, with different population profiles and risk factors in each location.

“We tried to give her as much scope as we could to get a good view of everything that was happening. Her primary location was in Swords fire station with C watch out there, which

ABOVE: Joanne with Third Officer John Keogh and EMS Support Officer Martin

O’Reilly. Photos: John Keogh

was a great benefit to her at the start because we had three APs on the watch. Any time she was responding on the ambulance, more than likely she was going to be with an already qualified and experienced AP,” Third Officer Keogh explains. “We had a few priorities when we went to introduce her to the station, [including] the local protocols that DFB has as regards dealing with RTCs, medical cases, any cases where the fire tender is involved. Additionally, there was a recruit class going through the training centre at the time so we were able to slot her into several modules that provide recruits with an overview of the incident command system that we operate, and how the officer falls into the equation.”

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ADVANCED PARAMEDIC

ABOVE and BOTTOM RIGHT: Joanne with colleagues in Swords fire station

BACK TO WORK Joanne has since completed her year with DFB, which she refers to as one of the highlights of her 19 years with the Defence Forces. She returns to a perhaps less hectic life at the Curragh where any given day could see her leading driving courses (she’s also a driving instructor), joining heavy armament shoots in the Glen of Imaal in case of injuries, or simply tending to the medical needs of personnel on the base. “It’s an absolute adjustment!” she says with a smile. “I’ve been out of the Defence Forces for two years on and off between being in UCD and working with Dublin Fire Brigade. I will work as an AP but I won’t work on a daily basis on a frontline ambulance.”

Still, Joanne brings back a wealth of experience having had the chance to practice her newfound skills in a more clinically busy environment than she would experience with the Defence Forces, and to shadow and work with DFB APs who have been practising for a number of years.

“In her time here she probably spent more time on the AP car in DFB than any of our own APs, so she received huge exposure to incidents.

She’s going back to a job now where she won’t do anything like what she’s

done over the past year. It was a great asset for her, and a great asset for the Defence Forces to have that kind of background going back into their service, a good understanding of how the civilian EMS side operates,” says T/O Keogh, who notes that by the end of her year with DFB Joanne was well-known across Foxtrot District, deferred to as the clinical lead if she was the only AP on site. “She also got on really well [with the crews], she got involved in all of the social events that were run between Finglas fire station and Swords fire station. She was fully involved really with everything that was going on in the station, and they treated her just like one of the crew.”

The relationship with the Defence Forces also continues to blossom – a second AP has begun his AP internship with DFB, a good sign of things to come. “We’re hoping that continues with Darren McDaid – he’s going to be with us for a year.

Hopefully we will continue that development between ourselves and the Defence Forces because it’s great to be able to do it.

We’d love to be able to facilitate it more,” says T/O Keogh, a sentiment echoed by Joanne.

“The Defence Forces is delighted because they would like to have a relationship with Dublin Fire Brigade and to keep that relationship open,” she tells me. “I absolutely loved every shift with Dublin Fire Brigade. I’ve met brilliant people, I’ve made great friends. I think Dublin Fire Brigade has some of the best APs – there was always something to learn, as every clinical case is totally different.

It was brilliant to work with really experienced advanced paramedics who have seen everything and done everything. It was a great opportunity to work with them. If I wasn’t retiring in two years I would definitely consider applying for Dublin Fire Brigade. I think it’s a great opportunity for people who have any interest in the EMS or the firefighting side. I think it’s a great career.”

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TRAINING EVS

THE FUTURE IS ELECTRIC

With the number of electric vehicles set to increase on Irish roads in the coming years, Dublin Fire Brigade is training recruits to deal with potential incidents, writes Conor Forrest.

D

epending on who you ask, the motoring world is on the cusp of an electric vehicle (EV) revolution.

With diesel’s reputation on the ropes, many of the world’s car manufacturers now feature a hybrid or fully-electric vehicle in their line-up. Volvo announced recently that all cars it produces will use electric or hybrid

power from 2019. Plans have been made in the UK to ban the sale of diesel and petrol cars and vans from 2040, with similar moves underway in France, Norway and the Netherlands. Ranges are increasing, charging times are dropping, and drivers across the world are being offered incentives to make the move.

Everything considered, it seems that things are swinging in favour of EVs.

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TRAINING EVS

ABOVE: Recent training in Clonmel, Co Tipperary for the National Fire Directorate. Photo: Richard Hunter.

FIRST PAGE: Renault’s range of zero emissions vehicles. Photo: Renault Marketing 3D-Commerce.

DFB's EV course is focused on making firefighters aware of the ins and outs of the average EV, tackling urban myths and educating firefighters about how these vehicles work.

The technology has actually been around for quite a while. The first electric vehicles appeared in the 19th century and we’ve been using them ever since – milk floats, forklifts, golf carts and bread delivery vans to name a few. So perhaps it’s fair to say we’re coming full circle rather than witnessing the advent of a completely new technology.

In Ireland we’re a little behind the curve – carrots to encourage EV ownership are minimal compared to some of our European counterparts, and just 3,000 or so have been sold here over the past few years.

“That’s going to change dramatically. The analogy I would

use is when we were all driving petrol vehicles and the road tax situation changed, with road tax based on CO2 emissions, so everyone swung across to diesel,” explains FF/P Richard Hunter. “In the next two to three years you’re going to see a big swing from diesel to electric.”

EDUCATION Richard’s background is in the motoring industry, having worked for Renault Ireland before joining Dublin Fire Brigade 15 years ago. With a deep-seated interest in EVs, he contacted his old employers when these vehicles

first landed on Irish shores at the beginning of the decade, requesting information regarding their safety.

“As a brigade, we have to be proactive rather than reactive. We have to understand the technology, how it’s coming, how it’s changing,” he explains. Such understanding must be fluid, necessary due to the rapid pace of change within the industry. The last few years alone have seen huge strides made in lithium ion battery technology, with manufacturers decreasing charging times and increasing range – key factors for consumers hesitant in getting rid of their fossil fuel transportation. Better range, lower prices and a wider variety of Government incentives such as free tolls and parking will see the number of EVs sold here spike in the coming years, and Ireland’s emergency services have to be prepared.

The end result of Richard’s factfinding mission was an emergency response guide to safely dealing with EVs involved in road traffic collisions (RTCs), which has been taught at training programmes in Tipperary for the National Fire Directorate and has been part of the curriculum for new DFB recruits over the past five years. DFB’s EV course is focused on making firefighters aware of the ins and outs of the average EV, tackling urban myths and educating firefighters about how these vehicles work, such as their silent nature (no rumbling engine) or how to recognise an EV (blue-tinted lights, ZE – Zero Emission – badging throughout, and the absence of a tailpipe). “Straight away, even if you haven’t done the training course, something is going to be telling you there’s something a little bit different about this car,” says Richard.

There are several differences in the way firefighters approach the scene of an incident involving an EV when compared to a standard ICE (Internal Combustion Engine)

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car. If the vehicle is on fire, once it’s extinguished they still have to consider the lithium ion battery and the bank of cells inside – this has to be cooled as otherwise it could reignite. Recovery, too, is different – the likes of the AA deploy specially-trained personnel to recover damaged EVs. And if the damage is severe, there are even more factors to take into account.

“If the vehicle has been catastrophically damaged where there are exposed cables or if the electrolyte [inside the battery] has leaked, it’s explosive, it’s quite toxic. It’s all about recognising that – the electrolyte has got a glue-like smell,” Richard explains. “And how do you deal with electricity? You don’t take any chances whatsoever.

There are electrical gloves, standard operational guidelines, and those copy and paste across to an EV when you’re dealing with exposed wires.

It’s just thinking outside the box.

You’re not looking at a fuse board

now, you’re looking at a car on the road, but the principles are the same as regards your safety.”

The instances of catastrophic destruction are thankfully quite rare. In reality, as Richard agrees, EVs are often quite safer to deal with in the event of an incident.

There’s no tank full of volatile fuel waiting to ignite, and there are less moving parts in the absence of an engine – power is provided via one or more motors.

While EVs are in use by the likes of Dublin Port Tunnel, Dublin Port Authority, Dublin Airport and Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, alongside private early adopters, for the moment the chances of running into an EV-related RTC are relatively rare given the small number of them on our highways and byways. Still, DFB is ensuring it’s prepared for the day that petrol and diesel cars have a competitor with much greater volumes on the road. Richard is keeping on top of the latest developments, aided by Renault Ireland who supply electric cars for the purposes of training and keep DFB up-to-date with where the technology is progressing – the French company has made its own investment in EVs with the Twizy, Zoe and the Kangoo Z.E. van.

“EVs are around a long time and I think they’re going to be around for a lot longer than the combustion engine,” Richard says. “European and in fact worldwide manufacturers have decided electric is the way forward. We have to be proactive rather than reactive in how we’re dealing with the technology.

It was important that it was recognised within the brigade that this was a change, and they have embraced it and moved forward with it very quickly.”

Renault’s Twizy ambulance. Photo: Renault Group.

UNUSUAL AMBULANCE

Richard’s background is in the motoring industry, having worked for Renault Ireland before joining Dublin Fire Brigade 15 years ago.

Renault has built a few different concept versions of its electric Twizy, including an F1 model.

In 2015 we were treated to a modified Renault Twizy Cargo (a commercial version that does away with the rear seat in favour of some storage space) that was refitted as an ambulance.

A number of life-saving and other additions were installed by ambulance crafters M&L, resulting in a response vehicle with a lockable 180L boot for medicines, blue lights and a siren, and ambulance livery. An ambulance of this size does make sense for congested urban centres – at less than 2.4m long and 1.19m the Twizy can push through gaps a full-size vehicle can’t negotiate. The 17hp electric motor provides a speedier response than on foot, with a range of 100km. A number of emergency services around the world make use of EVs in a bid to cut costs and become more environmentally friendly – FDNY is rolling out electric ambulances, the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS) in the UK has been trialling four BMW i3 EVs fitted with a petrol range extender, while in Cork, Cork City Fire Brigade procured a Renault Kangoo EV for its fleet fitted with a range of medical equipment and radios, used by the brigade’s cardiac emergency response team.

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SAFETY STANDARDS

HIGH STANDARDS IN SAFETY Third Officer John Guilfoyle outlines the process by which Dublin Fire Brigade was granted certification to OHSAS 18001:2007 by NSAI.

ABOVE: DFB’s management team with the certificate.

LEFT: CFO Pat Fleming. Photos: DFB.

D

ublin Fire Brigade had reason to celebrate recently when the service was awarded OHSAS 18001 certification by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI). Recognised worldwide as the highest international standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (SMS), OHSAS 18001 provides a framework to identify, control and decrease the risks associated with emergency service activities.

“This award is the result of the Brigade’s on-going efforts to deliver emergency services in a safe and

responsible manner with a commitment to protecting the well-being of our staff and the public we serve,” Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Pat Fleming noted. “Best health and safety practice has always been at the heart of DFB, and I am delighted that our hard work has been recognised with this accreditation. DFB has now achieved world-class standards of excellence in Health and Safety Management and Quality Management Systems, which is a remarkable achievement for an organisation of our size and complexity.”

ACFO Terry Kearney, with responsibility for Health and Safety, outlined the process involved in achieving accreditation. “The OHSAS 18001 accreditation followed a rigorous external audit of DFB’s policies and practices by the NSAI. The process included detailed interviews, samples of operations, and workplace activities inspections in all sections of DFB,” he explained.

The Health and Safety Unit based in DFB HQ facilitated the audit process across the service. The establishment of the full-time Health and Safety Unit was a key element in the organisation successfully implementing the OHSAS 18001 Safety Management System. The Health and Safety Unit is managed by Third Officer John Guilfoyle and has three full-time staff: District Officer Thomas Keane, Station Officer Mark Hogan, and Station Officer Chris Tallon.

The role of the Health and Safety Unit is to advise the CFO and DFB on occupational health and safety. Its function is to support the introduction and management of DFB’s safety management system.

The legislative requirements with which DFB must comply are set out in the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 supported by the General Application (Regulations) 2007. DFB chose OHSAS 18001:2007 as the most appropriate framework to manage safety, health and welfare within the organisation; using OHSAS 18001 also aligned DFB with the safety management recommendations from the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA).

DFB achieved accreditation because of the hard work, support and commitment of its entire staff who assisted with the numerous internal and external safety management system audits during the accreditation process. DFB also received invaluable support, assistance and guidance from DCC’s Corporate Health and Safety Office. By achieving accreditation to OHSAS 18001, DFB now has the framework of an internationally recognised safety management system to maintain and further develop a safer, healthier environment for its staff.

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HISTORY

HISTORY IN CONTEXT: Retired DFB historian Las Fallon looks back on the Custom House conference held at the site earlier this year.

M

ay 25th 1921 is a date that resonates in Irish history and has a particular place in Dublin Fire Brigade history. On that day, units of the Dublin Brigade of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) went into action throughout the city. The six fire stations in the greater Dublin area – the four DFB stations at Thomas Street, Tara Street, Buckingham Street and Dorset Street, and the township fire brigade stations at Rathmines and Ballsbridge (Pembroke township) – were held up by local IRA units to prevent them turning out. At the same time members of the IRA’s 2nd Battalion, backed up by members of the Active Service Unit, the Intelligence Section and the Squad, took over the Custom House – the centre of British civil administration in Ireland – and set fires throughout the building.

Auxiliaries from the Auxiliary Division Royal Irish Constabulary (ADRIC) arrived on the scene and a gun battle broke out. In the battle that

The Custom House.

followed, a number of civilians and members of the IRA were shot dead.

A large number of IRA Volunteers were captured and the event has long been controversial in terms of its perceived effect on the course of the War of Independence. Did it, as one school of thought has it, weaken the IRA and leave it exposed in Dublin which was, with the southern counties, one of the main seats of armed resistance to British rule? Or did it force the British to the negotiating table within weeks having lost the records of both their tax offices and the Local Government Board, in effect making Ireland as ungovernable from an administrative point of view as it already was from a military one?

A QUESTION OF CONTEXT On May 27th this year, just a few days after the actual anniversary, a conference on the burning of the Custom House was held in the building itself, organised by Micheál Ó Doibhilín and Liz Gillis and hosted by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. A wreath-laying ceremony had taken place on the actual anniversary of the attack attended, as it has been for a number of years, by a piper from the DFB Pipe Band who played a lament in memory of those who gave their lives there.

The event on the 27th was a major conference on the burning and looked at a number of facets of the

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action in the context of the War of Independence. Speakers included Liz Gillis, looking at the background to the attack, the attack itself, and the aftermath, and Micheál Ó Doibhilín, historian and CEO of Kilmainham Tales Teo, who examined the effect on the people who worked in the building. Sean Hogan spoke on the role of fire as a weapon during the War of Independence; Paul O’Brien spoke on the role of the Auxiliaries and British tactics in the War of Independence in Dublin, and Comdt.

Stephen MacEoin, O.C. of Military Archives in Cathal Brugha Barracks, discussed the role of military archives and outlined the resources available to researchers and historians. For my part, I spoke about the role of Dublin Fire Brigade in the burning of the Custom House both as the municipal fire service but also as an organisation that contained many active Republicans who played a full

the event on the 27th was a major conference on the burning and looked at a number of facets of the action in the context of the war of independence.

L-R: Micheál Ó Doibhilín, Comdt. Stephen MacEoin, Paul O’Brien, Liz Gillis, Las Fallon, CFO Pat Fleming and Sean Hogan.

part in both planning the attack and in ensuring that the building was destroyed.

Before the conference started a new book on the event, 25 May – Burning of the Custom House by Liz Gillis, was launched by Chief Fire Officer Patrick Fleming. The CFO spoke of the value of the new book to the whole historiography of the period. He also made reference to the roles played by DFB members in the events both as firefighters but also as participants. The CFO was presented with a copy of the painting of the burning of the Custom House that was used on the cover of the book. For more information, see www.kilmainhamtales.ie.

ABOVE: CFO Fleming with Las Fallon. BELOW: CFO Fleming, Micheál Ó Doibhilín and Liz Gillis.

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COMMERCIAL FEATURE

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COMMERCIAL FEATURE

COMMUNITY FIRE SAFETY We examine the ways in which Ireland’s fire services are promoting fire safety in homes, businesses and communities.

training centres, and working alongside the Civil Defence where required. The benefits are clear – safer environments for the public and for Ireland’s firefighters.

At a policy level, the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management developed and published the ‘Keeping Communities Safe’ (KCS) document in 2013, which outlines a balance between fire prevention, fire protection facilities and an effective response from fire brigades in the delivery of quality services. This is augmented by new fire safety regulations that will tackle safety in community dwellings and provide enhanced provisions for timber frame construction projects, loft conversions and much more.

So how are fire services across the country working to promote fire safety in their communities?

KILDARE COUNTY FIRE SERVICE

T

he promotion of community and business fire safety is a key facet of modern fire service operations, with fire services around the country working hard to both reduce and eradicate deaths and loss caused by fires each

year. This involves community fire safety initiatives such as school visits and awareness campaigns, building control and dangerous building inspections, the running of mobilisation and communication centres, work done through regional

Kildare is home to one of the fastest growing populations in the country, with a headcount of 220,000 people at the last census. A commuter county, the risk factors include three major motorways (M4, M9 and the N7/M7) and two airports, not to mention major industries including Kerry Group, Pfizer and Intel.

“It’s a retained brigade – we’re one of the busiest retained brigades

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COMMERCIAL FEATURE

in the country,” explains Celina Barrett, Chief Fire Officer with Kildare County Fire Service. “We have an operational staff of just under 70 and a senior officer staff of 10. Then we have administration support and a full-time mechanic.”

CFO Barrett notes that a huge emphasis is placed on fire safety across the county, with schools programmes, community group talks, two popular open days held either side of Fire Safety Week each year, Halloween and Christmas awareness campaigns, messages of advice that run in local media, and a Facebook page to keep the digital generation up-to-date with fire safety.

“Unfortunately we’ve had three people die in fires in Kildare this year, five over the past five years,” says CFO Barrett. “This year we’re looking at the domestic setting which is typically where fires happen and where people die. We’re about to roll out targeted home fire safety checks for vulnerable people in Kildare, a free service where trained members of our operational staff visit people’s homes and conduct a fire safety check – checking the number of smoke alarms they have and if necessary installing additional smoke alarms.

One or two other brigades around the country have already rolled it out but for Kildare it’s a big step, a significant

investment of resources to try and improve fire safety in the home.”

To discover more about the work of Kildare County Fire Service phone 045 454 800 or email cfo@kildarecoco.ie

MEATH COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE In the Royal County, 194,942 people living in an area of 2,432km² fall under the responsibility of Meath County Fire and Rescue. Seven fire stations –Navan, Trim, Kells, Dunshaughlin, Oldcastle, Nobber and Ashbourne – are manned by four senior fire officers and 72 fire service personnel – Acting CFO Pádraig Ó Longaigh, SACFO Barry Quinn, ACFO Éanna Ó Conghaile, and ACFO David Whelan.

According to ACFO Éanna Ó Conghaile the fire service responds to approximately 1,300 incidents each year. “Meath County Fire & Rescue Service is committed to fire safety in Meath, through its Community Fire Safety programme,” he explains. “This includes the Home Fire Safety Checks programme, the Primary School Programme (covering 110 national schools), and various talks, presentations and open days in stations throughout the year and for the annual national Fire Safety Week.”

•Smoke alarms •Test weekly •Obvious dangers •Plan your escape route For further information or advice contact Meath County Fire and Rescue Service, Abbey Road, Navan, Co. Meath, phone 046 905 1068, email fireserviceoffice@meathcoco.ie or visit www.meathcoco.ie.

FIRE SAFETY WEEK

Kildare Fire Service chip pan demonstration from the County Show in 2015.

ACFO Ó Conghaile highlights the Home Fire Safety Checks programme as one of their most important initiatives, an invitation to enter a home for the purposes of carrying out a range of checks and offering advice to the occupier based on the outcomes of the visit, such as ensuring at least two working smoke alarms are fitted. The programme is targeted at people or households who are considered to be vulnerable in terms of fire safety – old age pensioners, lone parent householders, and private rented accommodation. Meath County Fire and Rescue Service also promotes the fire safety awareness message STOP to protect the community and to promote fire safety in the home:

Forming part of a comprehensive public awareness programme, Fire Safety Week is run in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and focuses on enhancing fire safety, particularly in the home.

This year Fire Safety Week ran from October 3rd – 10th, encouraging the public to do a regular routine fire safety check, including turning off all unnecessary gas appliances, emptying ashtrays, and removing obstructions from all escape routes.

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TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGICAL TOOLS

WE BRING YOU THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AND INNOVATIONS FOR EMERGENCY RESPONDERS ACROSS THE GLOBE.

PET PROTECTION

Photo: Zipline.

LOOK TO

THE SKY Tanzania has announced the launch of what it describes as the ‘world’s largest drone delivery service’, which will provide emergency access to critical and life-saving medicines. Due to begin in early 2018, the Tanzanian government has partnered with California-based automated logistics company Zipline with the aim of developing four distribution centres using more than 100 drones, with up to 2,000 flights per day.

Each drone, built and operated

by Zipline, can carry cargo of up to 1.5kg at speeds of up to 110km/h, with a roundtrip range of 160km.

Orders can be placed by text

message with drops made at designated spots – the average delivery time is 30 minutes.

“We strive to ensure that all 5,640 public health facilities have all the essential medicines, medical supplies and laboratory reagents they need, wherever they are – even in the most hard to reach areas,” said Laurean Bwanakunu, Director General of Tanzania’s Medical Stores Department. “But that mission can be a challenge during emergencies, times of unexpected demand, bad weather, or for small but critical orders. Using drones for just-in-time deliveries will allow us to provide health facilities with complete access to vital medical products no matter the circumstance.”

Firefighters across the UK are being equipped with miniature oxygen masks to use when rescuing pets suffering from smoke inhalation.

The masks are funded through a partnership between charities Smokey Paws and the RSPCA, whose goal is to ensure that all fire service appliances and animal homing centres across the UK are equipped with these masks.

“Even small fires at home can produce a surprising amount of smoke and if a pet is suffering from smoke inhalation it can be hugely distressing for the owner; the availability of these kits will allow our firefighters to better help animals in need," said West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service Station Manager Roy Barraclough, as reported by Spirit FM. FIRECALL SUMMER / AUTUMN

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TECHNOLOGY

MARITIME MONITORING

FLIR Systems, which develops a range of thermal imaging cameras and imaging sensors, has recently launched the M500 multi-sensor maritime camera. A cooled thermal camera that can detect small temperature variations, the M500 allows first responders to view long-range targets with

‘exceptional clarity’ from distances of over 15km.

The high-definition visible camera improves navigational awareness, active gyro-stabilisation provides steady imagery in rough conditions, while video tracking allows users to monitor selected moving or stationary targets.

“The FLIR M500 multisensor camera is FLIR’s most technologically advanced M-Series camera to date,” said Grégoire Outters, Vice President and General Manager of FLIR Maritime. “Its cooled thermal camera and superior image quality enables professional captains to discern obstacles and navigation aids with much greater detail, providing them with improved situational awareness and safer navigation around the clock.

First responders will appreciate the long-range target detection, stabilisation, and video tracking for exceptional precision on the water.”

GREEN LIGHT FOR PARAMEDICS New traffic light technology has given first responders in the Australian city of Cairns greater access to the city’s road network. The Emergency Vehicle Priority (EVP) system gives vehicles fitted with this technology a green light when approaching intersections across the city.

“The time it could save ambulance or firefighting vehicles arriving at the scene of an emergency could be the difference between life and death,” said Acting Minister for Main Roads and Road Safety Steven Miles. “As the population in Queensland grows and demand for emergency responses increase, the development of EVP could not have come at a better time to help us reduce emergency response times into the future.”

So far, 39 vehicles have been equipped with the technology, which is set to be expanded to the cities of Hervey Bay, Maryborough, Rockhampton and Gladstone.

“We’ve already seen great results in other areas of Queensland where we’ve rolled it out previously – for example, EVP-equipped vehicles on the Gold Coast are showing travel time reductions by up to 26 per cent,” said Craig Crawford, a former paramedic and current Labor Party member for Barron River in the Queensland Legislative Assembly.

“The rollout of EVP in Cairns has been carried out in conjunction with emergency services to determine the routes and locations where emergency vehicles would have greatest benefit.”

FINDING YOUR WAY Wisconsin-based Northern Star Fire has developed a nifty eightdirectional compass that helps firefighters find their way while working in disorienting conditions.

The brainchild of Eau Claire firefighter Capt. Jeff Dykes, the compass attaches to the inside of the firefighter's helmet, powered by a rechargeable lithium battery.

Designed with durability and reliability in mind, the compass is waterproof, drop-shock tested and resistant to extreme temperatures.

A programmable accelerometer allows the user to double tap their mask to turn the compass on, while leaving it idle for three minutes will switch it off. A small gyroscope ensures that regardless of where the firefighter is, the true magnetic heading will be displayed. Depending on the direction you're facing, the 'N', 'S', 'E' or 'W' will light up, guiding you to safety.

“The U.S. Fire Service experiences on average 100 LODD [line of duty] deaths annually with thousands of others experiencing close calls and near misses,” said Capt. Dykes.

“NIOSH reports disorientation as one of a firefighter’s most serious hazards while conducting aggressive interior firefighting operations. My Northern Star was designed to tackle the problem of disorientation, thus making the fire service safer by providing a level of safety that was previously unattainable.”

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TECHNOLOGY

C-THRU WALLS

ADVANCED BABY CARE Advanced Healthcare Technology, working with Williams Advanced Engineering (a sister company to the Formula 1 team), has developed the Baby Pod 20, a successor to its original lightweight box for transporting newborn babies between hospitals or wards.

When being moved, babies require warmth and protection from noise.

The pod uses the same materials and design features that currently protect F1 drivers on the track, providing a warm, safe and secure environment that can easily attach to any stretcher. The pod weighs just 9.1kg and can withstand forces of up to 20G in the event of an accident.

“Using a decade of user feedback and experience, blended with technological advances in materials and design, the new Baby Pod 20 is a lighter, stronger unit, with greater patient access and usability, and a stronger fixation method to satisfy ever increasing aviation requirements,” the company notes.

AUGMENTED AID While thermal imaging technology has allowed firefighters to respond more effectively in low or zero visibility conditions for some time now, a Canadian company is taking visibility on the fireground to the next level.

C-THRU is the brainchild of Qwake Technologies, which basically overlays computer vision on the firefighter’s view of their environment using an augmented reality (AR) display, which provides a sharper view of their surroundings. Roughly the size of a pack of cards, C-THRU sits inside a firefighter’s helmet within their line of sight, providing just the details required and preventing information overload. According to Qwake Technologies, C-THRU can get firefighters in and out of a building five times faster.

“Qwake Tech is ushering in the next-generation of smart solutions for the fire and rescue industry with a sole mission to save lives,” the company says.

In Israel, augmented reality technology is being used to connect people with first aid providers in the event of an emergency. LiveAid, which is taking part in the Israel Homeland Security Accelerator, allows first responders to assess a patient remotely and provide instructions on how they can help using an augmented reality headset. The technology facilitates a more immediate response – important as minutes and seconds can be vital in certain medical situations.

“The current solution is to educate and frighten the public. People get several hours of theoretical instruction on the subject without ever touching an actual injured person, and that’s supposed to provide some sort of knowledge,” said Sarah Cohen, product developer. “I think augmented reality is a great way to get this knowledge to the people and stop the denial and fear that many people are feeling today about the handling and management of medical emergencies.”

WELSH INNOVATION A firefighter from Cardiff has won an innovation award for using helmet-mounted cameras to demonstrate how commanders handle emergency situations.

Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, now working as Deputy Assistant Commissioner with London Fire Brigade, began her research project at Cardiff University in Wales while working for the South Wales Fire Service. The findings from the project helped formulate a national policy that changes the way fire officers deal with incidents.

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BOOK REVIEW

BOOKSHELF Inside the Monkey House: My Time as an Irish Prison Officer By John Cuffe

T

he sum of 30 years of guarding Irish prisons, John Cuffe’s memoir is a captivating insight into a gritty world of which most of the public are unaware.

Revealing some raw truths from his life’s work, including a fractious relationship with the Department of Justice, it’s an interesting, in-depth and often brutally honest insight into the secrets that lie behind the high walls of prisons including Mountjoy, Arbour Hill and Castlereagh. A sense of real disenchantment with the criminal justice system pervades – Cuffe refers to the courts as ‘sad places’ where justice is not dispensed.

“Rules and loopholes are exploited by highly paid men and women. Justice is just a part of the product. It’s a casino or lottery often decided upon

by the whim of a judge,” he recalls.

Luck, too, is a common thread.

One chilly evening, having decided to borrow a raincoat from the ACO control room in Arbour Hill rather than retrieve a tunic from his locker, Cuffe was attacked by a prisoner with a jug of boiling water laced with sugar but avoided severe injury thanks to his clothing. Perhaps it’s little wonder that on the day of his retirement he walked through the gates of Castlerea without so much as a glance over his shoulder.

“We all did time, staff and prisoners,” Cuffe writes. “Each of us had a number; each of us wanted the finality of getting out that gate.”

Inside the Monkey House: My Time as an Irish Prison Officer is published by The Collins Press, retailing at €12.99.

For my Friend...in a difficult time

By Fergus Grimes People rarely feel embarrassed about having to take time off work or seeking medical advice for a physical ailment, but when it comes to mental illness there's a tendency to avoid or skirt around the topic thanks to a strong social stigma attached to mental ill health. According to Mental Health Ireland, one in four people will experience some form of mental health difficulty during their lifetime.

That stigma is what led pharmacist and psychotherapist Fergus Grimes to pen For my Friend... in a difficult time, an interesting pocket-sized book that tackles a difficult topic facing Irish society today. The book examines the reasons as to why people may suffer from poor mental health – from job loss and financial difficulties to family breakdown and abuse – how they can recognise the signs, and the steps they can take to get back on track. Written in a simple and easily digestible manner, the book also includes a list of useful phone numbers and websites should the reader wish to seek further help.

For my Friend... in a difficult time is available from a number of retailers including Veritas Books and Book Haven, retailing from €5.

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BOOK REVIEW

Those of Us Who Must Die

By Derek Molyneux and Darren Kelly

T

he centenary of the 1916 Rising has seen the release of myriad books covering that tumultuous time, from the events of that week to biographies of the key players.

When the Clock Struck in 1916 by historians Derek Molyneux and Darren Kelly is a gripping account of the fighting that occurred on Easter Week, and their new book – Those of Us Who Must Die – picks up the threads of their previous story.

Beginning with the final hours and executions of the rebel leaders, the book examines the deportation of Volunteer prisoners to England and Wales, their eventual return as heroes to Dublin, and how the movement for independence gained fresh momentum. Interspersed between the pages are the stories of individuals that lend a more human backdrop to events, from the Eason's

bookshop driver who joined the ranks of the Volunteers as a prank alongside his drinking buddy and got caught up in the arrests to the ascent of Michael Collins while imprisoned in Frongoch internment camp. The book’s title comes from Con Colbert’s letter written to Annie and Lily Cooney the day before his execution asking them to pray for ‘those of us who must die’. Colbert was a member of the IRB, Fianna Éireann and the Irish Volunteers, and was executed for his role in the Rising on May 8th 1916.

An interesting examination of a significant period in Irish history, published to coincide with the centenary of the death of Thomas Ashe, Those of Us Who Must Die: Execution, Exile and Revival After the Easter Rising is available from The Collins Press and all major bookstores, retailing at €17.99.

Whittled Away: Ireland's Vanishing Nature

By Pádraic Fogarty Ireland's natural resources have not always (or indeed seldom) been prioritised by the powers that be, taking a back-seat to more pressing matters, or simply the result of poor mismanagement. In his fabulous new book Whittled Away: Ireland's Vanishing Nature, ecologist Pádraic Fogarty charts the grim failures this country and our natural world have experienced over the years, including the destruction of wildlife habitats and populations, coastal communities struggling to make a living from the sea, and national parks that could not be considered ‘well managed’ under any definition.

However, Fogarty still remains hopeful for the future and outlines his harmonious vision for Ireland's environment, including farming in tune with nature, creating forestry that can be of benefit to both people and wildlife, and the return of long-lost species such as wild boar and cranes. Prioritising our natural world, he exhorts, will bring benefits to our health, well-being and our livelihoods.

Ireland’s Vanishing Nature is published by The Collins Press, retailing at €19.99.

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MOTORING SKODA KODIAQ

RAISING THE BAR: THE SKODA KODIAQ

SKODA'S NEW SUV, THE KODIAQ, HAS BEEN MAKING WAVES SINCE ITS LAUNCH EARLIER THIS YEAR.

T

he Skoda Kodiaq arrived in Ireland earlier this year with a fanfare that isn’t exactly normal for a family SUV. But it’s not hard to see why. Over the last few years Skoda has built up a reputation for delivering quality cars that don’t lack in style at an affordable price point – the Octavia has overtaken the Golf on the list of bestselling

cars, and isn’t that far off the top spot currently occupied by the Ford Focus.

Given that everybody and their mum seems to be driving an SUV/crossover these days, great things were expected from the Kodiaq. And, to be fair, it has delivered for the most part.

After a week behind the wheel of the Kodiaq, it’s safe to say that Skoda’s new SUV is an all-rounder that is sure

to appeal right across the board. It’s a family car, a rural runabout, or a decent fleet vehicle for sales reps who comfortably run up tens of thousands of kilometres on Ireland’s motorways.

Taking some designs cues from the Volkswagen Tiguan and Seat’s new Alteca, and apparently influenced by Bohemian crystal, the Kodiaq doesn’t really break any design ground but it’s still one of best-looking cars in this segment, however subjective that may be. The front is reminiscent of a Superb that’s been stretched and

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MOTORING SKODA KODIAQ

elongated, with sharp lines reaching back towards that familiar folded Skoda tailgate. While you’re standing in front of it, it doesn’t appear overly tall or wide, though you seem to tower above the rest of the road once you’re sitting inside.

INTERIOR REFINEMENT Skoda’s reputation for building solid and often stylish interiors is also well-earned – the Superb is one great example. That has thankfully translated into the Kodiaq, which benefits from the soft furnishing, colourful mood lighting, comfortable seats, insulation from the world outside and a great driving position that results in an overall feeling of refinement. Active (base) models will be a little more spartan, but by no means difficult to live with.

As a family car, the Kodiaq makes perfect sense. With five and seven-

seater versions available it’s extremely roomy front and back, with the usual cubbyholes and storage slots you’d expect from a Skoda. Opt for a panoramic sunroof and it’ll seem even more spacious.

Skoda expects the five-seater model will be the most popular choice, offering the most room inside with plenty of storage slots throughout.

Add seven seats for an extra €1,000 and things get a little more cramped, though you can move the middle row backwards or forwards. Like most seven-seaters, the back row is really only meant for children, though perhaps shorter adults might endure quick trips cooped up in the back.

Boot space is huge. Five seats means a boot size of 720L, rising to 2,065L with the seats folded down, well capable of tackling just about every luggage requirement. Seven seats reduce the boot space to 270L, though 660L with the third row folded is still quite impressive.

There are plenty of nifty features too.

There’s a small detachable flashlight in the boot, which I can confirm greatly helps matters in dark underground car parks, the usual ice scraper in the fuel cap, umbrellas hidden inside the front doors, cup holders that grip your drink and let you open it with one hand, and door-edge protection – a little plastic gizmo automatically extends from the door to protect your car and those parked beside you (very handy

if you’ve got kids). A retractable tow bar is an optional extra, as is the virtual pedal that allows you to wave a foot underneath the boot to open it. It’s also one of the safest cars on the road today, recently earning a five-star rating in the EURO NCAP safety test.

The touchscreen navigation and entertainment system is undoubtedly best in class, far easier and pleasant to use compared to versions I’ve tested of late, though the sat nav system can be a little particular when it comes to addresses and highlighting points of interest besides petrol stations and car parks. My particular version (Style) came with a decent bit of kit as standard, including 19-inch alloys, keyless entry, ambient lighting, an 8-inch touchscreen, sat nav, black leather and a rearview camera. For an extra €1,400 you can add the style pack that is just about worth the money, featuring the fabulous panoramic sunroof, an electric boot door and a media holder.

HIT THE ROAD Three diesel and two petrol engines are available from launch – a 2.0TDi with 150hp or 190hp (manual or automatic) and a 125hp or 150hp 1.4L TSI. My test model featured the 150hp 2.0L TDi with four-wheel drive, a smooth and refined engine that offers plenty of poke and pulling power.

Paired with a six-speed manual gearbox, the Kodiaq worked best at higher speeds, with plenty of torque available throughout the gear range.

Though not unwieldy I found it just a little cumbersome at lower speeds in towns and in traffic, almost having to coax it forward. But it’s actually quite fun to drive. The 4x4 system means you can worry less about the road surface as each wheel features phenomenal grip – you never feel like the Kodiaq is going to give an inch. And then there’s decent steering (though a little on the light side), a comfortable suspension, good visibility thanks to the large windscreen and high driving position, and very little lean in the corners. It’s also quite easy to drive and park, not much longer than the Octavia. Driving-wise it’s not

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MOTORING SKODA KODIAQ

BRASS TAX So why should you opt for the Kodiaq over the likes of the Volkswagen Tiguan, Ford Kuga, Kia Sorento or the Peugeot 5008? According to Skoda, there are three main reasons – practicality, style and value. The last one is definitely going to be one of the Kodiaq’s biggest draws, given that the range starts at a very impressive €28,795.

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Though the extras can quickly rack up, opt for Active and you’ll get you everything you need on the road besides four wheels and a steering wheel – forward collision warning and cruise control, hill start assist, air con, 17-inch alloys and Smartlink smartphone integration, though your only engine option is the smaller petrol block with a six-speed gearbox.

If you like a few toys it’s not a big jump to Ambition – €30,995 and up will get you bigger alloys, parking sensors front and back, tinted windows, a rain sensor, LED lights, storage drawers under the front seat, lumbar support in the front seats and a split folding interior. Pair that to the 150hp 2.0L TDi and you’ve got a winning combination of space, practicality, power and fuel economy for rural or motorway drivers, though the cheapest diesel version will set you back €35,495. The 1.4L petrol is a good option if you live in a town or city and tend to do low mileage.

Skoda expects the Kodiaq to be a game-changer for the brand, introducing the Czech way of doing things to an entirely new set of customers. It’s got quite a lot going for it – stylish looks, efficient engines, good driving dynamics, plenty of space, and up to seven seats, not to mention high standards of safety and very affordable prices. In short, it’s everything you want in a family car. I’ll borrow a gesture from the Mondeo-driving sales rep who paused beside me for a moment on the N7, and give it a big thumbs up.

POWER:

150HP SKODA KODIAQ 2.0TDI 4X4 STYLE

going to compete on the track, but it’s perfect for family drivers.

Despite quite a bit of size and weight it’s not overly thirsty – I averaged 5.7L/100km (49mpg) over the course of a week. With a lighter foot and a more economical outlook you should be able to hit 4.5L/100km (62mpg) at least. Unless you’re really focusing on fuel economy, opt for the automatic gearbox instead as it’s much easier to handle in traffic; I find the mix of a manual car with an electronic handbrake quite annoying.

Weighing in at 1,752kg, the Kodiaq can also tow an impressive and top of the class 2,500kg depending on the engine and trim level. If you’re clever you’ll do your maths and keep under the combined weight limit of 3,500kg, meaning you only need the standard category B licence. The optional Trailer Assist comes in handy if you’re not used to towing a load – simply set the direction using the wing mirror controls and the system works its magic, looking after the often awkward job of reversing.

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MOTORING SKODA OCTAVIA

OCTAVIA'S NIP AND TUCK

SKODA HAS ALSO LAUNCHED ITS UPGRADED OCTAVIA, WITH A FEW CHANGES HERE AND THERE. CONOR FORREST TOOK THE FACELIFTED MODEL FOR A SPIN.

O

ver the past six months or so I’ve driven quite a few eye-catching cars, not least of all Volvo’s new S90, but few have caught my attention like Skoda’s facelifted Octavia. It’s not really a new car, more of a mid-model nip and tuck, but there’s enough done to make this budget family car an even more attractive proposition.

106

Take the exterior. My particular model, the 2.0TDI saloon (the Combi has also been tweaked), came with a Race Blue paint job and 18-inch alloy wheels which, combined with the sharper new looks, makes for one of the best-looking models across Skoda’s entire range. In fact, I’d argue that it gives quite a few models within the entirety of the Volkswagen Group

a run for their money in the looks department. The lines are sharper and sleeker, with the main and most controversial change in the form of the segmented headlights, which admittedly look a lot better in the flesh than on paper. The base model itself is quite nice, but with the addition of the optional paint job, alloy wheels and chrome surround around the front and passenger windows, there’s very much a sporty and executive look about this unassuming Octavia.

And the quality continues inside the cabin. The materials used throughout are really pleasant – the dashboard is

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MOTORING SKODA OCTAVIA

ROAD WORTHY On the road, the Skoda handles quite well, cornering nicely and gripping the road with little to no body roll in the corners. The 150hp 2.0L TDi in my test model was quite responsive, paired to a six-speed manual gearbox.

Though there’s a little lag in sixth when putting the foot down, there’s plenty of overtaking poke in the first five gears. It’s quick enough off the line, travelling from 0-100km/h in 8.4 seconds and topping out at 218km/h.

It’s also really economical, averaging 4.9L/100km (57mpg) on the combined cycle. If you do quite a bit of long distance or motorway driving, and you’ve got a light enough foot, then 3.5 to 4L/100km (70-80mpg) isn’t completely out of the question. With CO2 emissions of 113g/km, annual tax will set you back €200.

If you want something cheaper, more powerful, or more economical, a range of options are available in petrol or diesel. At the bottom of the list is the 86bhp 1.2L petrol with a five-speed manual gearbox and claimed fuel efficiency of 4.8L/100km (59mpg) at a respectable €19,750 for the base (Active) model. The most efficient option based on the official figures would appear to be the 1.6L TDi producing 115bhp and managing 3.9L/100km (72mpg), paired to a sevenspeed automatic gearbox. At the top of

the pile is the six-speed 2.0L TDi with 150bhp and all-wheel drive, yours from a decent €30,550.

Three regular trim levels are available, Active, Ambition and Style, with Laurin & Klement adding a touch of luxury. Ambition will be the most cost-effective option with a decent list of standard equipment, including air con, multi-functional leather steering wheel, cruise control, LED lights front and back, smartphone pairing capabilities, and a reversing camera.

Style models like the one I had feature a few more items as standard, such as bigger alloy wheels, a 9.2-inch nav and infotainment screen, sports steering wheel, and a 4G SIM card slot that allows you to set up a Wi-Fi hotspot.

SIMPLICITY The previous Octavia scored well in terms of reliability, ranking the highest for vehicle dependability in the UK last year and third in 2017 according to the annual J.D. Power survey.

Given that not much has changed bar exterior updates, potential customers can rest easy knowing that the Octavia is a reliable car (and safe, thanks to its five-star EURO NCAP rating), with a three-year/150,000km warranty currently on offer from Skoda Ireland.

The simplicity of the Octavia is what attracts me most. There were no unnecessary bells and whistles in my €29,050 Octavia Style – you’ve got the fabulous Skoda media centre, a reversing camera, parking sensors, and cruise control but not much else, and it’s all the better for it. There’s even a proper handbrake and a full-size spare wheel, both of which seem to be more and more of a rarity these days. Some new cars can seem almost overwhelming with buttons and switches – the Octavia allows you to simply concentrate on enjoying the drive. Starting at €19,750 it also represents great value for money, undercutting rivals like the Volkswagen Golf or the Opel Astra.

There are more exciting cars, but if you’re looking for a family car with sharp looks, plenty of space and ultimately a lot of bang for your buck, the Octavia is an incredibly strong contender. I know I want one.

POWER:

150HP

0-100 KM/H

8.4 SECONDS

C02: 113g/km Max speed:

218 KM/H ANNUAL TAX OF

€200

FUEL

EFFICIENCY

4.9L/ 100KM (57MPG)

PRICE: €29,050 FIRECALL SUMMER / AUTUMN

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SKODA OCTAVIA 2.0LTDI STYLE

nice and spongy, the seats are really comfortable and the headrests are quite divine, one step away from pillow quality. There’s simply a nice feel about the Octavia, surprisingly similar to the quality you’d find in a Superb. It’s smart but by no means flashy, accentuated by touches of chrome and shiny grey plastic trim, and the layout is reassuringly familiar and straightforward.

The practicality you’d expect from a Skoda is also present here in buckets.

Head and legroom is abundant front and back, there’s the usual storage nooks and crannies all around, and the boot is nicely large at 590L, stretching to an impressive 1,580L when you drop the rear seats. Plenty of room for the Christmas shopping or a family trip to France for two weeks.

107 10/11/2017 17:04

MOTORING VOLVO V40

POWER:

120HP

0-100 KM/H

VOLVO'S UPDATED V40 ISN'T A COMPLETE REVOLUTION FOR THE BRAND, BUT IT'S STILL A GOOD CHOICE FOR THE FAMILY, WRITES CONOR FORREST.

G

iven that Volvo’s V40 is only five years old, the latest version is a refresh rather than a complete overhaul, bringing it more in line with the latest Volvo design updates. The overall shape remains the same, with a new option in the form of the admittedly cool Thor’s hammer headlights, a more distinctive grill, and a greater choice of colours and alloy wheels.

On the whole, however, it’s the same beast – a comfortable, sensible family car for people who aren’t enticed by the flashier Audi A3 or BMW 1 Series, but still prefer a step up from the likes of the Volkswagen Golf.

UPMARKET INTERIOR The V40’s interior is comfortable, well-built and decidedly upmarket, from the spongy materials and the floating centre console to the figure-hugging front seats, the old-school handbrake and a huge glovebox. The optional Style Pack (€650) is well worth the money, with a reversing camera, illuminated gearknob, 12.3-inch instrument cluster and an autodimming rearview mirror.

However, the small and fiddly media centre in my Momentum test model was a little outdated, and the amount of buttons on the centre console is distracting. The ignition is awkwardly placed and if you’ve got house keys

they’ll jingle annoying against the dashboard. It’s not terribly spacious either (blame the Ford Focus platform on which it’s based), particularly for rear passengers. The boot is small at 380L, but increases to a more respectable 1,032L with the back seats folded. The rear sill is a little high which can make loading heavy bags difficult, but you can make use of several handy cargo lashing points, and there’s an actual spare wheel. Swings and roundabouts.

DRIVING STYLE Though it’s not all bad inside, the V40 really makes its mark on the road.

Steering is a touch on the light side and the turning circle isn’t great, but otherwise it’s a relaxed and pleasant driving experience – decent handling (surprisingly grippy in the corners), great ride quality, little body roll and top of the class refinement, particularly at higher speeds. Visibility to the front is great, though the rear window is relatively small, and wide B pillars create a sizeable blind spot over your shoulder. It’s packed with safety features – pedestrian airbags, City Safety, a speed limiter, hill start assist, and parking sensors, combining for a five-star Euro NCAP rating.

For long distance driving, there’s a choice of three diesel engines – the entry-level 120hp D2, the D3 (150hp) and D4 (190hp), all available in manual

VOLVO V40 D2 MOMENTUM

SCANDINAVIAN STYLE

10.5 SECONDS

C02: 89g/km Max speed:

190KM/H ANNUAL TAX OF

€180

PRICE: €32,400 or automatic. My test model featured the 1.6L D2 beneath the bonnet, a nippy turbodiesel with 120hp and a six-speed manual gearbox. It’s quite frugal too, wringing 5.5L/100km (51mpg) out of the tank. For shorter journeys, opt for one of two petrol engines – a 122hp T2 (manual), or the more powerful 245hp T5 (automatic).

Pricing for the updated V40 is quite competitive, starting at €28,995 for the base model (Kinetic) 1.6L diesel.

There’s a few carrots – Irish customers can avail of a three-year/100,000km warranty as well as two years of Volvo Assistance; free breakdown assistance 24/7 across Europe.

A next-generation model is due to launch in 2019, and you might be tempted to wait. But the V40 we have now is a decent car let down only by less room than its rivals and a few subjective features. If you’re looking for a small family car that’s comfortable, drives well and is top of the class for safety and security, it should still be high on your list.

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Do you have an interesting story or topic to share, or would you like to submit an article for consideration for our next issue?

We love to hear from Dublin Fire Brigade personnel both serving and retired – stories and memories from your career, interesting events, technology and training, questions, comments and much more besides.

For further information contact the editor on 01 432 2241 or email conor.forrest@ashvillemediagroup.com 109_FC_Summer 2017_Call for submission_Rev.indd 1

07/11/2017 12:20

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

HEROES AMONG THE RUBBLE

White helmet volunteers working on a section of concrete piping. Photo: Mayday Rescue.

Performing life-saving work in the heart of their country’s civil war, Syria Civil Defence offers a glimmer of hope in a conflict that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Conor Forrest takes a closer look at their work in the embattled Middle Eastern country.

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INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

A

bomb drops on Aleppo, one of thousands that have targeted Syria’s second largest city. As the dust clears and screams echo through the streets, teams of first responders in white helmets rush to the rescue, carrying basic first aid kits as they treat the wounded, pull survivors from the rubble, or recover the bodies of the dead.

These are members of the Syria Civil Defence, better known as the White Helmets, a group of some 3,300 volunteers operating in rebel-held territory across the country. For the past six years, their country has been ravaged by civil war. Social unrest at the beginning of the decade blossomed into violence in early 2011, as those seeking change from the established order took up arms against the government led by Bashar al-Assad, further complicated by the involvement of jihadist group Islamic State (IS) and several world powers. Since then, the United Nations has estimated that in the region of 400,000 people have lost their lives, killed in airstrikes by Russian fighter jets or US drones, by chemical weapons bombings, or murdered by IS militants.

Millions have fled the country, either to neighbouring countries or Europe, with millions more internally displaced and living in camps. Aleppo, which was recaptured by Assad’s forces in December 2016, became one of the war’s fiercest battlegrounds, its face that of five-year-old Omran Daqneesh,

A Syrian child plays with a volunteer’s helmet. Photo: Amelia Franklin/Netflix.

Netflix released its documentary titled The White Helmets - last year.

Raed al-Saleh, Head of the White Helmets, addresses the humanitarian pledging session at the Syria conference in February 2016.

Photo: Adam Brown/Crown Copyright/Flickr.

a little Syrian boy photographed sitting calmly in the back of an ambulance caked in dust and blood. His ten-yearold brother Ali died in the same strike.

GROUND WORK The Syria Civil Defence (SCD) was formed in 2013, a response to the inability of the Syrian government’s institutions to work in areas outside of government control; its founders sought to establish a group that would save lives across the political divide. Volunteers on the ground in Syria’s interior work virtually without rest to prepare shelters, organise evacuations, fight fires, rescue the injured, transport patients to hospitals, handle unexploded ordnance and help to stabilise and rebuild infrastructure such as electricity cables, water

pipelines and roads. These are ordinary Syrian people with extraordinary courage – teachers, shopkeepers, artists and even former militant rebels who put down their weapons to join their neutral compatriots.

Today, 110 teams work around the clock in the eight provincial directorates of Aleppo, Idlib, Latakia, Hama, Homs, Damascus, Damascus Countryside and Daraa, their mission to ‘save the greatest number of lives in the shortest possible time and to minimise further injury to people and damage to property’. Twentytwo year old Khaled Khatib joined the White Helmets after seeing the destruction in his neighbourhood – the response of the volunteers inspiring him to do his part.

“There was one point where there was a massacre that happened in my neighbourhood and the airstrikes were immediately covered by journalists.

I saw journalists coming to the scene with their cameras, and that same night on TV I saw what we had seen in our neighbourhood,” he told the 2017 Mashable Social Good Summit.

“Before I joined the White Helmets I used to think about my studies and my favourite football and soccer teams, but now I have much bigger responsibilities.

I’m always thinking about the work that we do together to save people.”

Getting a Civil Defence agency off the ground during wartime is no mean

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INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

feat, and the White Helmets have been ably assisted by Mayday Rescue, which acts as a middleman between SCD and international government donors since early 2013. Among those working at Mayday Rescue to boost the capabilities of the White Helmets is Paul Murphy, formerly of the Defence Forces and the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service. Paul oversees White Helmet training as part of the BATAL programme, Mayday’s overarching engagement structure for their Syrian colleagues – imparting valuable information regarding urban search and rescue, incident command, the use of rescue tools, working at heights, road rescues and much more; the organisation also provides support and advice in terms of community engagement, organisational capacity building and international advocacy.

“Essentially it’s Mayday’s intention that Mayday can leave Syria Civil Defence and then they will be selfsustaining as their own institution,” Paul tells me. “I’ve just come away from our training centre with a group of 25 doing their first fire rescue training course and they’re just phenomenal people. They’ve got a great mentality... despite everything being thrown at them and so much negativity, they still seem to be able to manage a smile.”

ASSESSING DANGER The White Helmets may charge into danger but they’re by no means immune – indeed several outlets including Time magazine have reported that White Helmet facilities have been targeted by ‘double-tap’ bombing campaigns orchestrated by the Syrian regime and its allies.

Although they have saved tens of thousands of lives (at least according to their own records), more than 207 volunteers have been killed during the conflict. Khaled Omar Harrah was one of those people, a former painter and decorator who joined the White Helmets when war erupted in Syria. Harrah rose to international prominence in 2014 when he rescued a

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: A group of recruits with Paul Murphy, Director of Training, Mayday Rescue (glasses); Mayday Rescue is training the White Helmets in the use of a variety of rescue tools; Volunteers use cutting tools on a car during training.

baby trapped in the ruins of a building in Aleppo. Two years later, in August 2016, he was killed in an airstrike.

For Paul, the deaths of people he has trained and worked alongside is a heavy burden to carry, particularly as he can see the potential of each individual that passes through his training courses.

“We had a really good leader in southern Syria, the leader of Southern Civil Defence, Abdullah Hussein alSerhan. He was just a real gentleman and a fantastic leader,” he says. “I’ve known him since the start of the project in the south in 2015 and then I got the news in May of this year that he had just died in a bombing. I took that, personally, very hard, because I had so much expectation for this guy in particular – he was so well-received in Syria by his colleagues, by the local communities, and with all of our stakeholders externally. It’s been very, very hard. His death has really driven me even more to try and professionalise Syria Civil Defence, especially as they possibly enter a transition and

recovery phase of the conflict.”

Given the dangers these men and women face, part of Mayday Rescue’s work focuses on changing the Syrians’ cultural inclinations when it comes to saving lives – charging headfirst into the scene of a bombing is undoubtedly brave but, given their valuable skillsets and the important impact each member can have in their local communities, it’s ultimately the wrong choice. “For example, when the volunteers would come to training we’d say, ‘We have three casualties on the rubble pile, we want you to go and rescue them’.

So they would all just run onto the rubble pile straight away,” explains Paul. “We teach them over the next couple of weeks how to systematically and safely search in the rubble pile as opposed to running onto it. That’s the culture – of saving someone quickly without thinking about yourself. But as we tell them now, you need to think about yourself. If you want to carry out a rescue the next day then you need to be thinking about your personal safety

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INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

Daily Beast, “they try to undermine our efforts and throw fake accusations against us. Like we are not neutral or we are affiliated to radical armed groups or we are armed or have fighters. Actually, we don’t deny that our doors are open to fighters if they want to lay down their arms and join us, if they pledge to respect our charter of principles, which is in compliance with international humanitarian law, and if they want to join our rescue team which saves lives instead of takes lives.”

LIFE GOES ON In Aleppo, life is slowly returning to a fragmented sense of normality; shops and traders sell their goods amid the rubble that still remains, and citizens slowly return to their homes from displacement camps following the city’s reclamation by Assad’s forces. “Life is slowly returning to the desolate streets where shop signs are covered with dust, where men hawk goods on a street corner, and teenagers sell bananas off a picnic table,” notes an Associated Press report from September.

Despite the promise of an end to the conflict on the horizon, with Assad the likely victor, the war rages elsewhere – the bombs still fall and IS fights on. But the White Helmets continue to perform their life-saving work, a shining ray of light in a country dominated by darkness. In the last year or two their work has gone global – Netflix documentary The White Helmets, which was released in September 2016 and won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short, has brought their story to a global audience. They were also awarded the Right Livlihood Award – also known as the ‘Alternative Nobel’ – that same month and were recipients of the Tipperary International Peace Award in September 2017, a “testament to the enormous bravery and courage shown” by the organisation since its inception – joining the ranks of previous recipients including Malala Yousafzai, Mary McAleese and Nelson Mandela.

“I think it was a day where it really

resonated with me what Syria Civil Defence has achieved over the last number of years, not only internally in Syria but the recognition from an advocacy perspective on an international stage,” Paul muses. “A huge thanks to the Tipperary Peace Convention, just a phenomenal body of people who I’d love to stay in contact with... they do so much work from the humanitarian side as ambassadors for peace.”

As they rush from one emergency to another, working tirelessly and risking their own lives to save those of their fellow citizens, the White Helmets’ creed (a quotation from the Quran) continues to ring true – ‘To save a life is to save all of humanity’.

With an end to the conflict potentially in sight, the last 12 months have seen a switch in focus by Mayday Rescue to non conflict-related incident training – such as attending domestic fires or road traffic collisions, working at heights, and engaging with local communities.

The eventual aim is that Syria Civil Defence will be able to operate autonomously without outside assistance.

“For example, when we deliver the road traffic collision training we also deliver a session on community engagement,” Paul explains. “We outline the basic road safety factors of wearing a seatbelt, driving to the rules of the road within speed limits, avoiding driving while tired. The aim is that Syria Civil Defence can take all of that and then become the influencers within society as regards road safety.”

AFTER WAR

and then your team’s safety, and that has a knock-on effect for the safety of the casualty and your communities.”

Changing the decision-making process is often far more difficult than training someone to use rescue tools at an incident. “Most people can lift a concrete saw after they’ve been taught and [can] cut through concrete,” Paul adds. “However, to start understanding and implementing incident command at a building collapse is extremely difficult for them.

We’ve just started to train them in incident command because we think they’re ready for it. The remainder of this year is all about incident command through leadership training.”

However, despite the immense contribution and sacrifices the White Helmets have made across the country, and the great strides they’ve made as a Civil Defence organisation over the past four years, their work hasn’t been praised in all quarters. Conspiracy theorists have made numerous allegations against the White Helmets, linking the group to Al-Qaeda or accusing them of taking sides in the civil war, proffering evidence in the form of YouTube videos or bloggers with colourful imaginations, often relying on implications (the White Helmets operate in rebel-held territory and come into contact with rebel fighters) rather than clear and unequivocal proof. These allegations have been seized on and promoted by the Assad and Russian governments as well as outlets such as Russia Today (RT) – the television network funded by the Kremlin. Snopes – which fact-checks various claims and conspiracies – noted that “whatever their motives may be, we found no credible evidence that the White Helmets are linked to terrorist organisations. The accusations seem to be levied at the group based on political motivations, not evidence.”

“When the Russians talk about the White Helmets,” Raed al-Saleh, the White Helmet’s founder, told The

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COMMERCIAL FEATURE

COMMITTED TO CARING

St. Francis Hospice is making great strides in providing a quality, caring and community-based palliative care service at no cost, explains CEO Fintan Fagan.

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Best Public Service Excellence Award at the Fingal Dublin Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence and Corporate Responsibility Awards.

The award was in recognition of the best practice establishment and development of the volunteer service at St. Francis Hospice Blanchardstown since 2012. The independent judges said in awarding the Excellence Award for the volunteer service, “The winner of this award demonstrated how they have delivered a best in class service provision which is now shaping national standards. Their careful implementation and clear understanding of their stakeholders’ needs has brought outstanding benefits to all involved.”

Our sincere thanks to the people of Dublin for their ongoing support of the hospice.

Our staff and volunteers are committed to caring for our patients

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St. Francis Hospice, Station Road, Raheny, Dublin 5. Phone 01 832 7535

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t. Francis Hospice Dublin (SFHD) continues to provide high quality and accessible palliative care services at no charge to patients and families. Our objective of ensuring that the people of North Dublin have improved access to specialist palliative care was demonstrated by the improved community palliative care access; 94 per cent of patients in 2016 received this service in their homes within seven days, compared to 78 per cent of patients in 2015.

In 2016, SFHD overall patient numbers increased by 7.4 per cent compared to 2015. It takes great courage for our patients and their families to accept the services of St. Francis Hospice Dublin. They have many fears and worries, however, these are soon abated by the kindness of our staff and volunteers. Our staff and volunteers represent the best of us and our core values of dignity, respect and compassion.

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In 2016 we received a significant acknowledgement from the community we serve when we were awarded the

St. Francis Hospice, Blanchardstown Dublin 15.

Phone 01 829 4000 Email: info@sfh.ie Web: www.sfh.ie Charity No. 10568 Please like and follow us on: Facebook “f ” Logo

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15/11/2017 15:59

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

INTERNATIONAL NEWS Emergency Services News From Around the Globe.

ENGLAND:

AUSTRALIA:

EXPLOSIVE AIR FRESHENER One person was hospitalised in Southend, Sussex, following an explosion in their car.

According to Essex County Fire & Rescue Service, the explosion occurred when gases from an aerosol air freshener were ignited by a lit cigarette. Although the car was not set on fire, significant damage was caused by the explosion, with the roof and doors blown off. The victim

THE SHARK ATTACK PACK suffered minor injuries.

“Incidents like this are extremely rare, but it is important for everyone to be aware how flammable aerosol cans, such as air fresheners and deodorants, can be,” said Temporary Assistant Divisional Officer Justin Benson-Ryal. “We strongly advise that you not use an aerosol in a confined space and also you should not [smoke] during or shortly after use.”

EARTH:

TRIBUTES PAID AS 9/11 REMEMBERED Firefighters across the world were among those who paid tribute to the victims of the September 11th 2001 attacks, which killed 2,997 people and injured more than 6,000.

Among the dead were 343 firefighters, as first responders bravely ran into the flames and rubble to save as many lives as possible.

According to FDNY, a further 159 people have died as a result of World Trade Centre-related illnesses, with 32 names added to the FDNY World Trade Center Memorial Wall in Brooklyn in 2017. “The members we honour on our World Trade Center Memorial Wall worked tirelessly in support of the rescue and recovery efforts of the 343 heroes and thousands of innocent victims killed on September 11th,” said Commissioner Daniel Nigro. “The 32 members we remember this year were without question brave – they were dedicated and compassionate – and they performed their duties, selflessly and courageously.”

✶

Thankfully it shouldn’t see much use on Irish shores, but a paramedic in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, has devised a first-aid kit specifically to deal with incidents involving sharks.

The area around the NSW coast has seen several attacks and incidents in recent years, inspiring paramedic and surfer Craig Nolan to create the ‘Shark Attack Pack’. In early September, a surfer was lucky to escape after an attack from what is believed to have been a great white shark, leaving him with a nasty laceration on his hip. A number of anti-shark measures are currently in place, including shark nets off several beaches and drumlines that hook sharks between 500m and 1km from the shore.

According to The Northern Star, the pack contains two emergency bandages, a Combat Application Tourniquet (CAT), gloves, and a paramedic shears to saw through wetsuits, designed to quickly respond to an incident with massive loss of blood. Anyone who purchases a kit will be offered training on how to use its components in person or through Skype.

“The idea is how to keep yourself alive until the ambulance arrives,” Nolan is quoted as saying.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

USA:

WILDFIRES AND BURNING MAN TRAGEDY A 41-year-old man lost his life after running into a fire at the popular Burning Man festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. The man, who was airlifted to the UC Davis Firefighters Burn Institute Regional Burn Centre but later died, managed to get through two layers of security during a ceremony in which a wooden man is set alight.

Meanwhile in California, the deadliest wildfires in the state’s history burned through several hundred thousand acres of land in October, killing at least 42 people with thousands more left homeless. More than 8,000 firefighters were drafted in to tackle the blazes, which have caused around $1 billion in damages.

ITALY:

FATAL FIRE DESTROYS LIBRARY Three people died when a fire destroyed a private library in the Italian city of Cosenza.

According to The Telegraph, the three individuals were squatters living in an apartment below the museum owned by the Bilotti Ruggi d’Aragona family. Several ‘priceless’ books penned by notable Renaissance figures including Bernardino Telesio, as well as letters to Italian polymath Galileo Galilei, were lost in the fire, which is under investigation

by Italian magistrates.

GERMANY: FIREFIGHTER

SUCCUMBS TO INJURIES A fourth firefighter employed by the BASF fire department has died following injuries suffered during an explosion at the German chemical company's plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany in October 2016.

The explosion happened on a supply line between a harbour and a depot at the production site in the southwestern city, initially killing two firefighters and a sailor, with a third firefighter succumbing to injuries two

weeks later. Responding firefighters spent 10 hours tackling the resultant fires.

“I am deeply saddened that we lost our colleague. Until the very end, we were hoping that he would overcome his injuries. We mourn his death together with his family and friends,” said Kurt Bock, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE. The explosion is still under investigation by the public prosecutor's office in Frankenthal.

MALAYSIA:

FIREFIGHTERS TACKLE UNWELCOME VISITOR Firefighters in Malaysia were called to an unusual situation in the northeastern town of Limbang when a 16-foot crocodile ambled into a tyre garage in the centre of the town. One of the more daring firefighters managed to loop a rope around the huge creature’s

snout and what looked like a black bin bag around his head. Although the croc didn’t take too kindly to the firefighters’ efforts, including an impressive rendition of a death roll designed to ‘subdue and dismember prey’, he was eventually removed.

SOUTH KOREA:

FIREFIGHTERS PRACTICE EMERGENCY DRILLS With tensions ratcheting up between North Korea and the West, firefighters in South Korea are among those practicing emergency drills in preparation for an attack from the secretive

dictatorship. Seoul, the South Korean capital, is a large city home to around 10 million people – hundreds of thousands, if not millions, could die during a first strike by their near neighbours.

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