2 minute read
HALLOWEEN
SAFE AT SAMHAIN
Call outs were down but Halloween remained an extremely busy night
Firefighters extinguish a fire in a car that had been driven into a bonfire in Liffey Valley Station Officer Darren O’Connor was on Ireland AM to talk about having a safe and enjoyable Halloween on the morning before the festivities got going
There was also the usual number of RTCs and other incidents to respond to
alloween Night was as always exceptionally busy, with crews from across the city and county responding to a very large number of festivityrelated incidents on top of the usual call outs, and huge thanks must go to all for the tireless work they performed on that and every other day and night.
There were 133 Halloween-related fires recorded across the county. This was down significantly on last year, when around 300 call outs were recorded, with the very inclement weather playing a part in cutting the festivities short and reducing the number of bonfires that threatened to get out of control. Assistant Chief Fire Officer Greg O’Dwyer told media the bad weather had played a part, but also pointed to the work of local authorities in seizing a large amount of bonfire material - exceeding the 550 tonnes seized last year – as a factor.
Members of the public playing their part, family-friendly community events supported by the local authorities giving people the chance to enjoy the night safely, and the fact that Halloween fell on a Sunday night when children were in school the next day may also have been factors, but so too was the safety campaign run by Dublin Fire Brigade across media and social media in the days leading up to the festival.
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Station officer Darren O’Connor appeared on Ireland AM on the morning of 31 October to discuss how to have a safe and enjoyable Halloween, while DFB’s social media platforms highlighted the importance of safety, and the Samuel Beckett Bridge lit up with the DFB “Safe at Samhain” message.
Significantly, there was only one fireworks-related injury recorded over the course of the whole night. However, there was an increase in general emergency medical calls, with 483 recorded, up from 312 last year, and there were several incidents of concern across the city, with DFB crews having to intervene at several dangerous fires.
A car was driven into a bonfire at Liffey Valley, gas cylinders were found on a bonfire in Clondalkin, petrol was being thrown on a fire in Killiney, while large bonfires in Crumlin and Rathfarnham had to be extinguished when they posed a threat, and one in Leopardstown affected visibility on the M50.
One fire appliance suffered damage to its windscreen in the south city, but none of the crew were injured, and thankfully, all DFB personnel were able to return home safely after a busy night.
The map of Halloween call outs
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