Firecall Winter 2025

WINTER 2025

STATION PROFILE

THE DFB FIRE PREVENTION TEAM

SPORTS CLUB PROFILE

DFB’S MEN’S GAA TEAM

CHANGING GEAR

#1 IN OUR SERIES ON PROTECTING MENTAL HEALTH Untitled-1 1

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MARATHON MAN

Editor: Adam Hyland Consulting Editor: Ger Ryan Contributors: Ger Ryan, Darren Donovan, Las Fallon, Kevin Conlan, David Snee, Cameron Hyland, Ryan Jackson, Stephen Wade, Aidan Leavy, Mick Ratchford, Michelle O’Toole, Joe Dromgoole Creative Director: Jane Matthews Cover Credit: DFB Photography: Dublin Fire Brigade, Dublin City Council, Adam Hyland, Ger Ryan, Eric Ronan, Trevor Hunt, Ray McMonagle, Dean Kelly, Kevin Conlan, Joe Moran, Simo Jones, Darren Donovan, Kevin Conroy, Dave Snee, Declan Rice, Las Fallon, Dave Connolly, Cameron Hyland, New Island Books, Baskerville/ John Murray, Sandycove, Bantam Books, Equipmake, Weber Rescue Systems, Redline Fire Solutions, Durite, Adobe.

Sales Manager: David Byrne Production Executive: Claire Kiernan Publisher: Chesterfox Ltd, T/A Firecall Magazine, P.O. Box 6766, Dublin 2.

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

Copyright ©2025 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.

FIRECALL WINTER 2025

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Dear readers, Welcome to the latest issue of Firecall.

The many Sports and Social Club groups within Dublin Fire Brigade have been very busy over the last few months, and it is great to see so many of them getting out there and taking part in events.

As well as the stalwarts of the DFB Pipe Band and Retired Members Association, who always maintain a busy calendar (thanks to Kevin Conlan and David Snee), it is great to see the DFB Hurling Team in action, as well as the DFB Men’s GAA Team, who have recently entered the Interfirms competition for the first time in quite a while, and in this issue we focus on the latter as our Sports Club profile. Thanks to FF/AP Dean Kelly and retired member Tadhg Fallon for giving me the lowdown on one of DFB’s biggest clubs.

Another great club that has gained a lot of attention is the 1909 Motor Club, and it was great to catch up with FF/AP Joe Moran to hear how they are building a community for like-minded motorheads and their families.

As well as the always popular bi-annual Cinema Day and October Socials, the main event of the recent calendar was the Annual Christmas Party for members and their families, which was once more a great success.

The Extrication and Trauma Team were once again busy at the World Rescue Challenge in Croatia, while the Rope Rescue Team organised and hosted the very enjoyable Reeve n’ Rescue: Viking Edition event held at the Training Centre and across the city. My thanks to FF/Ps Cameron Hyland and Ryan Jackson, and FF/P Stephen Wade for their accounts of these events that help promote DFB on a national and international stage. Interestingly, the DFB Swiftwater Rescue Team have also set their sights on representing DFB in a similar fashion, and it was great to talk to FF/P and SRT Instructor Kevin Conroy about their plans.

In this issue, we also have the first in a series on Mental Health, in which we look at some of the issues that present challenges to the mental wellbeing of DFB members and their families. We open with the issue of ‘Bringing the Job Home’ and my thanks must go to Michelle O’Toole, Project Lead on Hugs@ Home at the RCSI, and CISM Coordinator Joe Dromgoole for their valuable input on a topic I urge all members to read about.

Rather than a Station Profile, in this issue the focus was on the Fire Prevention department within DFB, and it was very interesting to learn about the many roles they undertake to ensure the public and all DFB members are kept safe through tireless hard work. My thanks to ACFO Fire Protection Mary O’Brien, D/O Declan Rice, D/O Con Flanagan, SEFPO Larry Loughnane, SEFPO Dan Fitzgerald and EFPO Paul McGrath for taking the time to talk to me.

It was a pleasure to talk to recently retired D/O Colm McCarthy about his busy and rewarding career with DFB and the many ways in which he has developed and influenced training across so many aspects of the job.

Thanks must also go to my regular contributors Darren Donovan, Las Fallon, Pipe Band Secretary Kevin Conlan, and Ger Ryan, all who gave their time to help produce this issue, and to all who contributed articles or photos.

26 SPORTS CLUB PROFILE DFB Men’s GAA Look to Build for Success Again

44 STATION PROFILE The DFB Fire Prevention Team

48 MENTAL HEALTH PART 1 What To Do When You Start Bringing the Job Home

I hope you enjoy the read,

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16 14 SEASONAL CHEER

The Annual Family Christmas Party

16 WORLD RESCUE CHALLENGE DFB at the World Rescue Challenge

20 A CUT ABOVE

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SEFPO Keith Brunkard’s Charity Save and Haircut

22 WATER RESCUE

DFB’s SRT Team Is Looking to Build

34 AT THE MOVIES

38

The Autumn Cinema Day

36 OCTOBER SOCIALS Great Nights Out

38 GET YOUR MOTORS RUNNING The 1909 Motor Club

48 MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS

The First in a Series on Topics to Be Talked About

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52 FAMILY FUN DAY

A Great Time at a New Venue

60 ROPE RESCUE

Reeve ‘n’ Rescue Dublin and International Event in Ceuta

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WINTER 2025 EDITION

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

01 EDITOR’S LETTER 02 CONTENTS 05 SECRETARY’S FOREWORD 07 DFBSSC UPDATES 10 DFB IN BRIEF 26 SPORTS CLUB PROFILE

56

DFB Men’s GAA

30 FROM WITHIN THE CIRCLE DFB Pipe Band Update

44 STATION PROFILE Fire Prevention

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54 RETIRED MEMBERS UPDATE 56 RETIRED MEMBER PROFILE

D/O Colm McCarthy

64 FROM THE ARCHIVES

Darren Donovan On the Legacy of Private Insurance Firefighting Brigades

68 HISTORY

Las Fallon

71 BINGEWATCH TV

The Latest Recommendations

75 INTERNATIONAL NEWS 77 BOOKSHELF 79 TECHNOLOGY

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W

GER RYAN We are always trying to improve our methods of communications. Each station has a WhatsApp group that is administered by the station DFBSSC Rep. If you wish to be added to the group, contact your station Rep for details.

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

FIRECALL WINTER 2025

elcome readers to our winter issue of Firecall. It’s been another busy few months, and as always, a big thank you goes to the DFBSSC Committee and everybody involved in DFB who gave their time to make occasions such as our Cinema Day, October Socials, our annual Family Fun Day, and of course our Annual Christmas Party such a resounding success. I know a lot of work goes into these events, both behind the scenes and on the day, so thank you all.

The issue of mental health is one that is sometimes avoided, or dealt with around a fire station’s kitchen table, and while this can work to diffuse a challenging situation, we want to be in a position where we can all feel comfortable discussing things that may be affecting us, a colleague, or our families. To start that conversation, we have begun a series on those very issues, highlighting and discussing what can sometimes be difficult topics surrounding mental health, and I’d recommend reading the first of these on the signs that somebody is bringing their job home with them, and what we can all do to help.

It is great to see so many of our DFBSSC clubs taking part in a range of activities and events, and I’d like to welcome the 1909 Motor Club who look to be gaining popularity very quickly. I’d also like to wish the Men’s GAA Team the best of luck as they enter an exciting new phase. They are our latest Club profile, and if any existing club would like to feature in the next issue as the club or society profile, please get in touch.

The DFB Extrication Team and Rope Rescue Team have been very busy as always, and congratulations must go to them for their excellent showing at major events that help to develop and share skillsets that we can all use. It is great to see the SRT Team building their name and reputation too, and we will keep a close eye on their progress.

Our Retired Member Profile sees recently retired D/O Colm McCarthy talk about his varied career, and reading about his involvement in so many aspects of DFB training and development over the years is highly recommended. Las Fallon’s piece on the old Street Alarms is also very enjoyable, as is the Archives feature from Darren Donovan.

Thanks must go to the Fire Prevention Team for making themselves available for our Station Profile and for explaining how intrinsic they are to DFB, and to everybody who has contributed to this issue, or taken the time to be interviewed. This magazine would not be possible without you. Indeed, if anybody would like to contribute a piece or has any suggestions or recommendations for features to appear in future issues, please get in touch with the editor.

There will be many more events and activities in the near future, so keep an eye on our social media pages or make sure you are included in the station DFBSSC WhatsApp groups for the most up to date information.

WINTER 2025

STATION PROFILE

THE DFB FIRE PREVENTION TEAM

SPORTS CLUB PROFILE

DFB’S MEN’S GAA TEAM

FIRECALL WINTER 2025

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VOLUME THIRTY ONE ISSUE THREE

Ger Ryan

CHANGING GEAR

#1 IN OUR SERIES ON PROTECTING MENTAL HEALTH

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SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB

T

here has been a huge amount of activity in recent times in the Club, with new clubs forming and other clubs going from strength to strength.

It’s fantastic to see the Men’s GAA football team re-enter the InterFirms league after too many years away.

DFB have a great history in this, and we hope to see them rolling back the years. The 1909 Motor club has been one of the fastest growing clubs in recent years. It’s something that a lot of members within the job have and it’s great now that they can all come together and share their love for this hobby. Our social media presence has also increased, with giveaways on a regular basis to all kinds of events such as concerts, family events, sports and so much more. Big thanks must go to Stephen Breen for all his work in the background managing this. Most of our members are now used to DFBSSC using Eventbrite to manage and control our big events.

We would please encourage all members who intend to go to events to book their tickets early and before the closing date on the sales. This helps us plan ahead to make the best of the event for our members.

RECENT EVENTS • Savoy Family Movie Day • Winter Social Nights @ Dakota • Men’s GAA InterFirms League games • Kids’ Christmas Party in Castleknock Hotel

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MOVIES @ THE SAVOY Once again, we returned to the Savoy on O’Connell Street on the Bank Holiday Monday, with A watch on duty, to enjoy a booked-out theatre exclusively to DFBSSC members. With more than 250 members and their families attending, it is one of the highlights of the mid-term break from school for the kids to attend. On this visit, we decided to put on a screening aimed at 16 years of age and older. This proved to be a huge success, and we will try to facilitate this going forward with the next Cinema days. Thanks to the reps who helped on the day and as always, Sandra and all the staff in the Savoy cinema who make the event run like clockwork.

WATCH SOCIAL NIGHTS We returned once again to the Southside of the Liffey and into Dakota

for the winter social nights. As always, they proved a great success once again, with great numbers on all four nights. We were delighted to have a good number of our Fire Prevention members join in with D Watch on 23 October for their evening. We are always looking to freshen up events, so if any members have suggestions on venues for the southside, feel free to contact me on secretary@dfbssc.ie with any ideas or suggestions. We will have our next social nights back in the Church in April / May, so keep an eye out for the dates in the new year.

2025 KIDS CHRISTMAS PARTY Planning and organising have been underway for months for the biggest day of the year for the club, The Kids’ Christmas party in Castleknock Hotel on 7 December. We have had a sub-

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SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB

group within the Committee working closely together over the past few years and its proven very successful.

For the first time, we had more than 800 people through Castleknock Hotel over the day and it went seamlessly. A special mention must go to FF Mark Sheridan for helping organise the AGS Mounted Unit, who were on hand to greet people on the way into the hotel, with some kids getting great photos with the horse in their festive attire.

As well as the Mounted Unit, we had face painters on duty, a professional photographer taking family portraits throughout the day with the families getting their printed photo there and then, the DJ keeping the kids dancing, and a magician who provided great entertainment for young and not so young.

As always and keeping with tradition, all kids received their Santa hat, and specially commissioned DFBSSC badges, which over the past couple of years have been designed by FF Jen Dooley. This was all capped off with a visit to Santa Clause himself. We know this can be a bit of a wait for all, but we hope your kids found that wait

worthwhile. Thanks to CFO O’Dwyer for his support with the event, to the BTO and FF Styles for the logistical help, and to all on the Committee who worked tirelessly on the day.

Subcommittee: Mick Ratchford / Joe Moran / John Connolly / Kevin Conlan / Richie McDonald / Ste Breen

CLUB GIVEAWAYS We have had a bumper year of giveaways to Club members. We have given Premium level tickets in the 3 Arena to more than 20 different gigs this year. On top of that, we continue

JOIN IN

If you aren’t on your Station Sports and Social Club WhatsApp group and would like to be, please contact your station rep, or if you aren’t following us on social media, please feel free to do so also.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DubFireBrigade X: https://x.com/dubfirebrigade @DubFireBrigade Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dubfirebrigade @dubfirebrigade

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to pass on tickets to many events including Bloom, The Big Grill, Garden session in Malahide, Wonderlights in Malahide and Marlay Park, as well as discount codes for The Nightmare Realm and Twinkletown Ice Skating.

Every station and work location has a Closed WhatsApp group. If you are not in the group, ask your station rep to add you.

Also, follow DFBSSC on Instagram, Facebook or X for the most up to date club information and chances to win tickets. These are closed Social Media pages with access for DFBSSC Members only.

AGM We hope to have our AGM towards the end of January 2026. We have been sightly delayed this year, mainly due to changing accountants for the club finances. All members are encouraged to attend the AGM and if you are interested in getting involved on the upcoming Committee, information will be released soon as to how to express your interest.

FIRECALL WINTER 2025

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TO THE DUBLIN FIRE SERVICE

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DFB IN BRIEF

A recap of Dublin Fire Brigade’s news and events over the last few months

ABOVE: S/O Brian Burke was joined by friends, family and colleagues from C Watch for his last parade at North Strand in August after 30 years of service to DFB and its GAA team. LEFT: The Lord Mayor’s Aide De Camp with the sword and mace outside the Mansion House for Culture Night in September.

ABOVE: Kilbarrack firefighters clear the road after a tree fell during Storm Claudia in November. LEFT: Kilbarrack firefighters extinguished a car fire on Halloween night as just one of a record 516 EMS calls for C Watch.

BELOW: Recruit Firefighter Louise on scene at a vehicle fire in the city centre in November

ABOVE: Taking part in a multi-agency emergency response exercise at Weston Airport in October. RIGHT: S/O Keith Mason gets a shave to kick-start the Frontline Mo-Bros Movember campaign. BELOW: The five DFB members who completed a two-week USAR Technician 2 course at the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Training and Development Academy in October.

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DFB IN BRIEF

LEFT: There

were double celebrations for D Watch Kilbarrack in November as FF/Ps Walsh and Stewart shared their birthdays.

RIGHT: Responding to a suspected chemical leak in the city centre in September

ABOVE: Phibsboro firefighters respond to a vehicle fire in October. RIGHT: The DFB Rugby Team who recently played against a Garda team to launch this year’s Movember campaign. BELOW: Congratulations to the DFB Hurling Team who started their season with a win against Amgen.

ABOVE: Lar from Oscars Kids dropped by HQ in September to say hello to some of the crew who provided the escort for this year’s Galway Cycle in aid of the charity. LEFT: Great photo captured of the sun shining over Dublin in September by the 42m turntable ladder crew. BELOW: Phibsboro FF/Ps check their flood response equipment ahead of Storm Claudia in November

FIRECALL WINTER 2025

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DFB IN BRIEF

LEFT: Colleagues

gathered recently to say a fond farewell to S/O Dominic Taaffe, who retired after 28 years of service and was instrumental in introducing EV equipment to DFB. RIGHT: Firefighter/ Paramedic Beresford celebrated his birthday whilst on duty at the start of November

BELOW: Congratulations to F/F Dave Maguire, ESC Nicole Walsh, Sub Officer Brian Loughran, F/F Alan Mc Grath and EFPO Therese Cuffe who graduated with a Level 8 in Emergency Services Management from SETU. RIGHT: Firefighters from Swords attend to tyres on fire in Lusk in the run up to Halloween

ABOVE: Firefighters from Tallaght captured this glorious sunset while extinguishing a car fire in September. LEFT: Friends, family and colleagues gathered at the Training Centre to say farewell to Sub-Officer Stephen McMenemy who retired after 29 years of service as a FF/P, Officer and in Logistics

ABOVE: About to start collecting money in aid of Aoibheanns Pink Tie in October.

BELOW: Firefighters from Tara Street fire station respond to playground facilities set alight in Sandymount in September

ABOVE: Firefighter/Paramedics from D Watch Dun Laoghaire and Donnybrook take part in a Hazardous Material exercise with Amgen Ireland in November. LEFT: A firefighter from Tallaght using a consaw to gain access to a clothes recycling bin on fire in October

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FIRECALL WINTER 2025

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DFB IN BRIEF

ABOVE: Firefighters came together in September to take part in the Relay For Rayne to help raise funds for Rayne, a little girl battling a brain tumour.

BELOW: Firefighter/Paramedics from Blanchardstown, Finglas and Phibsboro respond to a well-developed house fire in October ABOVE:

ABOVE: Firefighters on a Marine Emergency Response training course with the Irish Coast Guard Rescue helicopter at Weston Airport in November. BELOW: A Watch Kilbarrack presented a cheque for €6,000 raised through their annual coffee morning to St Francis Hospice in September

Congratulations to FF/AP O’Byrne who was awarded his 20 year medal on parade in November by D/O Tom Doolan .

LEFT: A Watch got out the candles to wish FF/P Ward a Happy Birthday in October. BELOW: Firefighters from Dolphins Barn responded to a tree down along with live cables on Slade Road during Storm Amy in October

@dubfirebrigade Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DubFireBrigade Twitter: https://twitter.com/dubfirebrigade @DubFireBrigade Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dubfirebrigade @dubfirebrigade ABOVE: Former NFL star (and brother of Travis) Jason Kelce dropped in to HQ for a visit ahead of the Steelers V Vikings match in Croke Park in September

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CHRISTMAS PARTY

The Annual Family Christmas Party was a Great Success, writes S/O Mick Ratchford

T

he annual Kids Christmas Party for DFBSSC members is always a huge undertaking and by far the biggest even on the Sports and Social Club calendar.

This is my third year coordinating the event and it is a great pleasure to do so, though it also requires a lot of work from the many members of the team who help make it happen.

We must give huge thanks to the Castleknock Hotel for their help throughout. We have a great working relationship with their staff, especially Niamh, who always goes above and beyond to help us in any way she can.

This year, we had the very welcome addition of the Garda Mounted Unit being there at the entrance to the hotel, which was a brilliant surprise for all the children attending who very

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quickly forgot about the rain. I would like to thank FF Mark Sheridan and his wife Ciara for helping to make this happen.

As always, the amount of work being put in behind the scenes is truly amazing, and these special days when we can all gather together and have fun wouldn’t happen without the dedication of the volunteers on the Committee.

I want to mention in particular the Christmas Sub-Committee who give up so much of their time and put in so much effort to make this day so special.

Those are Richie McDonald, Kev Conlan, Joe Moran, Steven Breen, and John Connolly.

This year we had more than 800 people attending over the course of the day, with more than 30 helpers/volunteers on hand to make sure it all went smoothly.

Again, a huge thanks to everybody involved, and looking forward to another great celebration next year!

FIRECALL WINTER 2025

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EXTRICATION

Team Ireland set off to take on the rest of the world

TAKING ON THE WORLD

The DFB Extrication and Trauma Team Competed Very Well at the World Rescue Challenge, writes FF/P Stephen Wade of D Watch Tallaght

D

ublin Fire Brigade’s Extrication and Trauma Teams took to the international stage to take part in the World Rescue Challenge in September. Before that event, there was the small matter of competing in the National Extrication and Trauma Challenge that took place on 26 May, when teams from across the country, as well as from Luxembourg and Manchester, descended on the Training Centre in Marino.

An award ceremony was held in the Chapel, and when the finishing positions were announced, we were delighted to

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learn that DFB had secured the winning place for the second year in a row, therefore qualifying to compete at the World Rescue Challenge in Karlovac, Croatia.

TRAINING WEEK For the first time in the team’s history, a week-long training programme was put together by D/O Declan Rice, which allowed the team to spend a week in the Training Centre fine-tuning extrication and trauma scenarios. This time was also used to produce LearnPro material and assess new RTC equipment. Assessors from around the country were also invited

to appraise the team’s performance and make some tweaks; (we thank you for your time and guidance).

In between training scenarios, D/O Rice encouraged open and frank discussion.

Everyone was to speak up, opinions mattered, and ideas on what went well and what needed improvement were discussed, regardless of rank or experience in the team. By the end of the week, a lot of improvements had been made and both teams were feeling good about the challenge ahead. The Trauma Team had also been given an opportunity to train for the new Mass Casualty Incident scenario under the tuition of FF/AP Eithne Scully.

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EXTRICATION

THE CHALLENGE

Arriving at the venue for the World Rescue Challenge in Croatia

ABOVE: The winning team at the National Extrication and Trauma Challenge.

BELOW: The first challenge

This year we adopted a “Team Ireland” approach of Stronger Together. The teams comprised of extrication and trauma teams from DFB and trauma teams from Dublin Civil Defence and Carlow Fire and Rescue Service. And so it was that Team Ireland left Dublin Airport bound for Zagreb, where we were met with an incredible level of hospitality from the Zagreb Fire Service who collected us from the airport and provided us with two minibuses for as long as we needed them.

Day 1 of the competition saw Team DFB take to the extrication pit for a challenging scenario which presented a patient with a catastrophic haemorrhage to the arm trapped in an overturned car, with access obstructed by another car and various immovable objects of road furniture. David Lorenzo and Liam Caffery had to work hard, creating space by reforming the roof while Eithne Scully stabilised the patient before he could be extricated. Meanwhile, Paul Stanley quickly assessed a patient in the second car before stepping him out and handing him over with minor injuries.

This is an example of the multiple jobs being undertaken at once, Stephen Bonfil and Keith Russell ensured we had multiple pieces of equipment being used in tandem to ensure the goal of a 25-minute extrication and handover was achieved. The team were praised for their communication, patient handling, and incident command.

Day 2 saw the DFB’s new trauma team consisting of Andy Dowling and Aaron Cullen take to the pit. They were faced with a complex scenario which comprised of two patients, one critical and one with non-life-threatening injuries.

THE TEAM WERE PRAISED FOR THEIR COMMUNICATION, PATIENT HANDLING, AND INCIDENT COMMAND”

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EXTRICATION

LEFT: Andy Dowling and Aaron Cullen fly the Dublin flag. RIGHT: The tech rescue (with helpful Irish flag graphic from the organisers)

Aaron Cullen took to treating the critical patient while Andy Dowling assessed and treated the second patient. Throughout the scenario, both team members had to continuously communicate with each other, ensuring neither patient deteriorated while preparing them for transport. All of this had to be done within 14 minutes, with one minute allowed for a full handover of both patients. The assessors in this case were emergency medicine consultants from Romania and Spain, so no chance of winging it!

SUCCESS On Day 3, Aaron Cullen and Stephen Wade were joined by two firefighters from France for the newly introduced Mass Casualty Incident. It soon transpired that the French firefighters were trained to Emergency First Response level, so it would take a huge amount of team work to recognise each team’s abilities and limitations when it came to triaging and stabilising casualties, particularly with the language barrier. The scenario presented an RTC involving a minibus and pedestrians amounting to eight patients with injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to catastrophic haemorrhages and traumatic brain injuries. Despite

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the challenges of working with French colleagues with different skillsets, the team managed to treat all casualties and finished in 4th place, just four points behind the winning team. The margins are so tight at this level!

SOCIALISING Outside of the competition pits, there were several workshops from subject matter experts on new technologies including Virtual Reality, Lithium-Ion battery fires and new vehicle construction.

There was something for everyone on the social calendar; also swaps night, live bands, and museums.

Between scenarios over the four days, the team also got to take in the local area and amenities, including the 10metre diving board on the Korana River. One particular team member, Liam Caffery, made the climb of no returns when he went to the 10metre board only to find a crowd of local firefighters had gathered on the nearby bridge to watch him make the long step from the top board. After a few short minutes of gentle encouragement from the team and a growing crowd of spectators, Liam made the jump, the ripple of which is still making its way down river.

Not wanting to be upstaged, he was soon followed by Deccy and Lorenzo.

JOINING It was a very successful week in which the team continued to show its progression at World level. They performed to the highest standards and the I.C. Stephen Bonfil came in 4th position overall, while the other teams had a top ten finish out of 72 teams. When a date is set for training to recommence in the new year, it will be advertised on the ‘Request to Speak’ bulletin and any potential new members, regardless of watch, service, sex, size, or experience, all are eagerly welcomed to attend, to watch, or get involved! There’s a place and a job for you!

THE MARGINS ARE SO TIGHT AT THIS LEVEL!” The Team Ireland set-up

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ADVERTORIAL

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For more information visit www.fireprotection.ie / 01 819 7955 / info@fireprotection.ie 256484_Passive Fire Protection_Firecall Winter 2025_V3.indd 1

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FUNDRAISER

A CUT ABOVE S Shave and a Haircut at Height Raises Huge Amount for Charity

enior Executive Fire Prevention Officer Keith Brunkard quite literally went above and beyond recently when he volunteered to have his trademark long hair and beard shorn to help raise funds for charity.

Not only did he agree to have his locks removed, but as the fundraising target grew and grew, he did it at the top of the DFB’s turntable ladder, 137.9ft or 42meteres in the air, and had several buckets of ice poured over him for good measure upon returning to the ground.

A Fire Prevention Officer for 25 years, SEFPO Brunkard is well known in DFB

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due to his standout appearance, but that was all to change when, to coincide with Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, he decided to take the plunge and cut his hair to raise funds for Oscar’s Kids so they could send seriously ill children and their families to Lapland to meet Santa. The hair, meanwhile, would be donated to the Little Princess Trust in the UK. “I was thinking of cutting my hair for a while, and figured that if I was going to do it, it should be for a good cause,” SEFPO Brunkard says. “Oscar’s Kids is a charity that DFB has been a strong supporter of from the off, so the choice was obvious.

Plus, my daughter had done a sponsored

haircut for Laura Lynn, so I thought I could do something similar.”

HIGH STAKES

The initial target was to reach €5,000, after which SEFPO Brunkard would have his hair cut and beard shaved off, but that amount was raised within a day through an overwhelming show of generosity from donors. So, the stakes got higher, with a new target of €10,000 and an agreement that the biggest donors would get to pour a bucket of ice over his head.

“We started off thinking that if we could raise €5,000 for the haircut that would be great, but we managed to raise that

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FUNDRAISER

much in a day, so I figured we had to do something else,” SEFPO Brunkard says.

“That’s when they idea of the ice bucket came in for the person who donated the most. A gentleman by the name of David Slattery was only delighted to pour the first one. He even brought his own bucket because he didn’t think the one we had would be big enough!”

As the money raised through idonate.ie and a couple of offline donors got bigger, another idea was brought up: the turntable ladder can extend to 137.9ft, so if the target surpassed €13,907, the haircut and shave would take place that high up at the top of the ladder, and so it came to be.

“I was happy to go along with the new ideas because it meant higher targets and more money for charity,” SEFPO Brunkard says. “It was grand really, being up that high, but the hardest part was that the hair was blowing everywhere, and I had to hold on so I wasn’t moving around too much while the barber went to work.

It was a small space for three of us to be in as well, but it was a good laugh and we got it done in the end.”

CURIOSITY Of course, DFB has done many fundraising events for Oscar’s Kids and other charities, but this one really caught the attention of a lot of people.

THANKS

“I guess it was the unique nature of it, because nobody had seen me without the long hair and the beard for more than 25 years,” SEFPO Brunkard says. “So, a lot of people were curious to see what I looked like under all that. I still get strange looks now from people who need to take a few moments to recognise me.”

In the end, almost €23,000 was raised though this brilliant fundraiser, with the money handed over to Oscar’s Kids at the end of October to start making plans for a magical trip, and SEFPO Brunkard is keen to thank all who donated and helped make it happen.

“There are just so many people to thank,” he says. “The big donors, EI Electronics, Dave Slattery, everybody who donated, all my colleagues, the DCC, Grafton Barbers.

We had customers of theirs who donated, people I didn’t even know. Thanks must also go to Fabien the barber, who agreed to go up the ladder to cut someone’s hair in October, fair play to him. Thanks to the Fire Prevention team, A Watch HQ, Podge Thompson from our OIU team, our neighbours Trinity City Hotel, Elaine O’ Flaherty, Frank Black, Stephen Cleary and our Turntable Ladder Operators Eric Field and Danny Slevin, as well as Tony and Amy Walsh, John Galgey, Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers, Declan Smith, and A Watch No. 12, and everybody who donated and helped make this happen.”

A huge congratulations to SEFPO Brunkard too, for raising so much for such a great cause.

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SWIFTWATER

The Team is highly-skilled and experienced

WATER RESCUE

Following Their Coverage of the Liffey Descent, The DFB SRT Team Is Looking to Build, FF/P Kevin Conroy Tells Adam Hyland

I

n October, the DFB Swiftwater Rescue Technician Team provided cover for Canoeing Ireland at the 64th Liffey Descent challenge, and SRT Instructor FF/P Kevin Conroy of D Watch says the aim is to have the team attend many more events and represent DFB on a national and international level.

A major event of the international marathon racing calendar, the 32km race from Straffan in Co Kildare to Islandbridge in Dublin city centre sees

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The SRT Team with one of their water sleds

canoeists and kayakers from all corners of the globe converge on the Liffey to be tested by a variety of challenges, and DFB was on hand to make sure it all went off without injury.

REPRESENTATION “I have a background in kayaking so I knew what our role would be and what we would have to do on the day,” says FF/P Conroy, who has been with DFB for nine years following a decade as a retained firefighter in Kildare, “and I have to say it

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SWIFTWATER

Keeping the waterway safe

FF/P and SRT Instructor Kevin Conroy Making sure participants overcame challenges on the Liffey without injury or incident

The SRT Team on one of their two Liffey-based RIBs

On the weir during the Liffey Descent The Liffey Descent went from Straffan to Islandbridge

Keeping a watchful eye

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SWIFTWATER

all went very well. The whole idea behind starting the SRT team was that DFB has the Rope Rescue team and the RTC Extrication team, but there hasn’t been a water rescue team, so we want to get that established. We do a lot of hands-on stuff in work, but we don’t get a lot of moving water hands-on stuff, and we want to get that started, to be able to demonstrate and improve our skillsets through events.”

He says his love for kayaking started when he was 14 or 15. “A friend of mine said that if I went kayaking with him, he would play rugby with me,” FF/P Conroy tells me. “I went kayaking with him and fell in love with it, went through the ranks and did all my proficiencies, went on to become an Instructor, and never looked back. My friend never got around to joining me playing rugby, but I got the better end of the deal because I love it and have passed that passion on to my children.”

Members of the DFB SRT Team

ABILITY With two rescue boats on the Liffey overseen by HQ, and rescue sleds at the other swiftwater units at Phibsboro and Dolphin’s Barn, the SRT team covers the waterways from the Docks up to the Sluice at Lucan, and FF/P Conroy says there is a lot of interest within DFB to be a part of it, with training courses for recruits, FF/Ps and Instructors taking place throughout the year.

“As groups come in, they do a swim test and if they are good enough, they go on to train as SRTs,” he says. “If they are not strong enough swimmers, they can still become water awareness personnel or flood responders, they just can’t be committed to water rescue.

“We are trying to get the SRT Team off the ground as a recognised option for events, and the Liffey Descent was very much the start of it,” he adds. “The build-up involved organising getting a team together, we had to go through the relevant officers and CFO to get permission to go ahead, as well as the Health and Safety team, Logistics to get the gear on board, and although we didn’t get a chance to do a training day in advance, everyone on the Team is fully trained so that wasn’t a problem.

“The plan is to cover more of these

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SRT training

events, so I have been in contact with Canoeing Ireland, who are the main body looking after kayak training throughout Ireland, for any future events. We want to get the DFB name out there as the people to cover their events.”

EVENTS FF/P Conroy also wants the SRT Team to take part in challenges and competitions against other agencies, though this is so far proving difficult.

“I have scoured the internet looking for SRT events, much like S/O Dave Connolly does with the Rope Rescue team, for example, but so far there hasn’t been very much out there that we could take part in, but we are keeping an eye out for them,” he tells me. “There might be one coming up in Wales that we could represent DFB at. We want to be able to get a team together, do some training, maybe go to the Training Centre in Northern Ireland, and hopefully get a team entered in events, do the Liffey Descent again next year and perhaps a few other events as well.”

He adds that he feels the SRT Team would be in a strong position to do well in such events.

“I would be 100% confident,” he says.

“The people we had at the Liffey Descent are very confident and competent and there is a huge interest there for the work we do. As with anything we do, we wouldn’t want to go to an event unprepared. If we were going to go to an event we would definitely put our heads down and do a lot of training in advance, but I would definitely back my team 100%.

We have people who are very strong swimmers across the SRT stations, some have swam competitively, plus with my background and the skillsets of others on the Team we have a very strong technical ability.”

For now, the aim is to promote the SRT Team, so FF/P Conroy is keen to get the name out there.

“If people are interested in us being there to help out at events, they can get in touch with us. We are getting it off the ground now, trying to get our name out there that we are willing to come to events to cover them. So, if anybody knows people who host events and want us to show up, we will do our best to be there. Also, if people know of events that we could compete in, get in touch with us because we would be delighted to take part in competitions to represent DFB.”

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SPORTS CLUB PROFILE

The DFB Men’s GAA Team line up at their first Interfirms match

CLUB PROFILE:

DFB MEN’S GAA FOOTBALL TEAM

D

ublin Fire Brigade has always had a proud tradition of its members representing their county at Senior and Junior level, so it is no surprise that the Men’s GAA Club are one of the largest sports clubs within the job.

Now is an exciting time for the Club as they have just re-entered the Interfirms League for the first time in many years, meaning they are set to play regular matches across each season, and will no doubt only grow in size.

“This is the first time since I have been in DFB when I joined back in 2013 that we have entered a team for a tournament,” former Dublin player FF/AP Dean Kelly

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The Men’s GAA Team is Getting Back on Track

of C Watch Kilbarrack, who has taken on a coaching role, says. “We now have 50 registered players, but I know there are a lot more GAA players in our ranks, so hopefully more will register and we can think about forming a second team.”

A Trinity Gaels club player, FF/AP Kelly joined the GAA Club soon after starting work with DFB. “DFB didn’t really have a team at the time, apart from when they played the occasional challenge match, such as those against New York Fire Department (NYFD), who I played against in my first game, but coming in from a GAA background outside the job, I knew a lot

of DFB members already because there were a lot of them representing clubs around Dublin, and I was familiar with them through GAA circles. In terms of an actual playing team, there was nothing set in stone back then, but we did have a strong history of playing in the Interfirms League and having some success back in the 1980s and 1990s, and we wanted to get back to that.”

GOLDEN GENERATION Reaching that same level of success might be a tall order, as the ‘Golden Generation’ of the 1980s enjoyed a heyday when they were able to field a number of Dublin

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SPORTS CLUB PROFILE

Senior team members. One of the main men behind the team back then, who is still going strong with his involvement to this day, is retired member Tadhg Fallon.

“I started in DFB in 1982 and at the time there were a few different sports clubs on the go in the job,” he says, “but the GAA team was always the biggest and we had some brilliant players. We had some very good soccer players on the team, including Freddie Strahan who played for Shelbourne and Ireland and was the person who scored the goal against England in 1964, the only League of Ireland player ever to do so. He was a fabulous footballer who also shone for the GAA team.

“Terry Potts was one of the people who got us started, and our first manager was Paddy Hobbs, a diehard GAA man, then we had John McKenna, assisted by Paddy Culligan, a boxer who was great at getting the team motivated, and a lot of good players came in because of him. I was very lucky because I immediately got to play

Sean Leonard presents the poem ‘The Firefighter’s Call’

by Ger Devine to Captain Terry Holland of No.10 Station, FDNY, on the DFB GAA team’s trip to New York in 2023

The DFB and FDNY teams just after the most recent challenge match in New York in 2023

WE DID HAVE A STRONG HISTORY OF PLAYING IN THE INTERFIRMS LEAGUE AND HAVING SOME SUCCESS BACK IN THE 1980S AND 1990S, AND WE WANTED TO GET BACK TO THAT”

“

WE DID HAVE A STRONG HISTORY OF PLAYING IN THE INTERFIRMS LEAGUE AND HAVING SOME SUCCESS BACK IN THE 1980S AND 1990S, AND WE WANTED TO GET BACK TO THAT”

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SPORTS CLUB PROFILE

DFB GAA legend Tadhg Fallon with his sons FF/Ps Joe and Darragh

AS LONG AS THERE ARE PEOPLE TURNING UP AND KICKING A BALL, IT WILL BE GOOD”

alongside some really good footballers.”

The fact that he played for the Dublin Junior team from 1983 to 1985, and so could only play for a team such as DFB rather than a club team, didn’t hurt Tadhg’s chances of joining the organisation, he jokes.

“S/O Joe Kiernan was involved in the interview panel, and I found out afterwards that he was a St Vincent’s man, and they had the spine of the Dublin Senior GAA team, so maybe he was interviewing for footballers!” he laughs.

Dublin footballer David Horan had joined in 1981, and I knew him because he was from the same club as me, Robert Emmet’s.

“Suddenly, we had a really outstanding team, and I got to play with the likes of Gerry McGrath, Ciaran Healy, John Whelan, Noel Hosback, Terry Webb in goal, John Pender, Ray Leavy, Tony Nealon, Frank Devlin – all terrific footballers. We had some older players but also some new blood who were just as good, and we did very well playing first Junior, and then Intermediate level, where we had a lot of success.”

SUCCESS The team’s first big when came in 1982 against a Northern Banks side who had Cavan footballer Jim Reilly and iconic

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Dublin goalkeeper John O’Leary in their side, and from there they rose up through the levels, facing better and better sides with more household names on them.

“I remember playing the Builders, which was always a tough game,” Tadhg says, “because they had sub-contractors who happened to play county football and suddenly found themselves on the team ready to play us, so we ended up playing against the likes of Kerry legend Jack O’Shea. They were bangers brought in to play by the big developers, but we did well against them.”

Moving into the Senior League, the DFB team had a host of stars at this time, and Tadhg found himself the only Junior player on the team alongside the likes of David Henderson, Declan Sheehan, Charlie Redmond, Gerry Hargan, Joe Watts, Liam Adamson, and Vincent Conroy.

“All members of the Dublin GAA or Hurling teams,” Tadhg says, “so it was an honour to be playing with them.”

The ultimate success came in 1988 when the DFB team won the Interfirms Dublin, Leinster and All-Ireland Championships.

“Dublin had been knocked out of the Leinster Championship early that year,” Tadhg explains, “so we had all of our Dublin players available to us, whereas they wouldn’t have been allowed

play league or cup games had they still been in the competition. The Dublin Championship was unreal. We played the gardaí in the semi-final and they had a host of inter-county players, but we managed to beat them, and went on to play the Prison Service in the final. They also had a lot of players from the Midlands who were playing for the likes of Laois, but we beat them after extra time.

“We waltzed through the Leinster Championships even though we were still up against inter-county players wherever we went, because we had a great spirit among us as well as a panel of great players, and finally reached the AllIreland final, which we won at St Vincent’s grounds.”

FADING AWAY Though there were more successes over the next few years, the team began to stagnate in the early 1990s when the organiser of the Interfirms League in Dublin passed away, and the mantle wasn’t taken up by anybody else.

“The team also started to age and we didn’t have as many good players joining DFB,” Tadhg says. “People were getting married, having children, so it became very difficult to get a team together to play, and we just didn’t have the numbers anymore.”

CHALLENGE MATCHES There was a revival of sorts when Tadhg was approached by the Lord Mayor of Dublin after 9/11 and asked if he could organise inviting some FDNY members over.

“Being GAA people, I thought we should get in touch with their GAA team,” Tadhg says, “and after first visiting them some six months after the attacks, they came over to us, and each time we played a challenge match against them, and that continues still, with us visiting them, or

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SPORTS CLUB PROFILE

vice versa, every couple of years. We have a very good relationship with them, and I work very well with their Battalion Chief Eddie Boles. It helps that it turns out he is actually related to me!”

Though he left DFB in 2007, Tadhg is still involved with the team and continues to make the trips to New York.

“I am like an ambassador at this stage,” he says. “They won’t let me stay at home!

But it is great that it is still going, and with Dean Kelly taking over now, hopefully the DFB GAA team can make a name for itself again.

“Back in the day though – wow – I was so lucky to be part of a great team, and with a bit of luck the team now can develop and start to do well again. I’d love to see it happening.

“As long as there are people turning up and kicking a ball, it will be good. I am still involved in the background but other members are really taking it forward. My day has come and gone and I want the newer lads to take it on. It is time for me to take a back seat, but I will always enjoy being a part of it and having a great time with the lads. The players all get on very well, there is great banter. It doesn’t matter how good you are. I do hope it continues and they have some success. A lot of sports are catered for in DFB, and I know I am biased, but the GAA team has always been a very strong part of the sports scene in the job, and long may it continue.”

CLEAN SLATE Back to the present, and FF/AP Kelly says there is a good mix of both senior and junior players on the panel.

“All have played at some level for their own clubs, so there is a lot of experience there,” he says, “but the Club is very much open to new members as well. It is all about getting a large and competitive panel. We can train you up, so if you are interested, you are very welcome to join.

“There is a good mix in the Club, and although the operational firefighters make up most of the active players, we have different ranks in our management and coaching team, from retired D/Os and very senior badge numbers down to myself and all the way down to the latest recruit class, so there is also new blood in the mix.”

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FF/AP Dean Kelly holds the Sam Maguire trophy with DFBSSC Chairperson Paul McCann

WE ARE STARTING WITH A CLEAN SLATE, A NEW SET-UP, JUST TRYING TO KICK IT OFF AGAIN” In terms of training and game times, the difficulty of getting enough numbers together is ever-present, but a WhatsApp group enables the Club to find who is available.

“We nearly just have to pick a day and hope people can find cover or leave, and if they can’t, they will miss out, and we all understand that,” FF/AP Kelly says. “Given the nature of our work and the different Watch shifts, you can’t accommodate everybody all the time. For example, we had a match recently and of the 50-strong panel, only 19 could make it.

That just goes to show how difficult it can be, but we are hoping to ramp up training to give everybody a chance to get out there before the Championship kicks off in the new year.”

The first official Interfirms game of the new regime was a grading game against the Mountjoy Prison Guards, with another

against the Dun Laoghaire Teaching Board following soon after.

“We are still finding our feet, and I am new to this too,” FF/AP Kelly says, “but for now it is all about getting the team going and entering a competition, building a structure. I felt that with the Interfirms competition we needed to enter that to get the ball rolling, and now we have that focus that will drive us to get things going.

It was like, ‘right, we have entered this, now we have to put a team together’.

“We are finalising new jerseys, establishing our main team. We are starting with a clean slate, a new set-up, just trying to kick it off again, and over the next few weeks with a few games under our belt we will know more about ourselves and take it from there, but it is an exciting time and if anybody is interested in joining us, keep an eye out for the Comms bulletin to find out how.”

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DFB PIPE BAND

ABOVE: ACFO Richard Hedderman at the 40th Anniversary celebration.

BELOW: John McNally. BELOW RIGHT: Mark Toner

FROM WITHIN

THE CIRCLE The DFB Pipe Band Celebrated Their 40th and Entertained the Crowds on Culture Night, writes Secretary Kevin Conlan

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S

ince the last article, the DFB Pipe Band have been as busy as ever, performing at a range of events and rehearsing as usual on Monday nights in the Training Centre.

Washington DC make a presentation to DFB Pipe Band

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DFB PIPE BAND

The Band with Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor John Stephens. ABOVE RIGHT: Irish Prison Service Pipe Band members with DFB Pipe band members Damien Fynes, Tom McLoughlin and John McNally.

RIGHT: Founding Member Damien Fynes with the presentation received from the Band

ANNIVERSARY The standout occasion was our 40th Anniversary Celebration Gala Dinner, held in September, which proved to be a great success. On the night, the Band welcomed many friends, colleagues, guests and family members. We were delighted to have the Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor John Stephens, join us, along with ACFO Richard Hedderman and ACFO John Guilfoyle. The evening began with the Band playing many of their favourite tunes, including pieces written specifically for us, paying tribute to the people who helped shape it over the past 40 years.

One of the tributes performed was a drum salute written by the Band’s drum tutor, Ciaran Maurdant, in honour of FDNY firefighter and close friend of the band, Durrell “Bronko” Pearsall, who was

sadly killed in the line of duty on 9/11.

There were a number of presentations made on the night, including an important one to founding member Drum Major Damien Fynes, acknowledging his significant contribution over the years.

Ger Devine then took to the stage to deliver a poem he wrote for the band. You could have heard a pin drop as Ger recited the piece to the room. A massive thank you to him for taking the time to write the poem. Each band member was later given a copy, which was a welcome surprise.

The night continued late into the evening, a perfect way to unwind after many months of planning by the Committee. The support shown to the Band on the night was fantastic, and we would like to thank all those who took the time to join us. The support received in the lead-up was also greatly appreciated.

ABOVE: Damien with members of his family. BELOW: Ger Devine presenting the Poem to Band Chairman John McNally

LEFT: Washington DC Pipes and Drums. RIGHT: The Deputy Lord Mayor with members of the Washington DC Pipes and Drums

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DFB PIPE BAND

CULTURE NIGHT The Band were also invited to perform at City Hall during Culture Night. This is an event we have played at before, and it is never one to miss. Held inside the historic surroundings of City Hall, the acoustics of the main hall create an impressive sound that always attracts a large crowd. This year, the event took place the night before the 40th Celebration Gala Dinner, and we were joined by visitors from the Washington DC Fire Department Pipes and Drums, whose presence was a great support. It was a fitting way to begin the weekend of celebrations. Thank you to the organisers for kindly inviting the Band to play on the night.

Drum Major Damien Fynes with Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor John Stephens

NEW MEMBERS

We have grown in size over the past number of years, with many new members joining, which is always great to see. Joining the Band is straightforward: simply come along on a Monday night at the Training Centre and you will be welcomed in and provided with everything you need to get started as a student musician.

With world-class tuition from Ciaran and Dave, you’ll be in the right place if you want to learn the pipes or drums. The Band welcomes anyone interested in joining, so feel free to reach out through any of our social media pages, or speak directly to any member. Even if you’re unsure whether it’s for you, we encourage you to come down on any night and get a feel for how the Band works. The Band would like to thank everyone who has supported them along the way. The list is too long to put into words, but your support is always appreciated and never goes unnoticed. A special thank you also goes to Dubco Credit Union for their kind sponsorship of the 40th event.

The band can be reached at any time through any band member, social media or by emailing: dfbpbsec@gmail.com Follow the Dublin Fire Brigade Pipe Band’s journey on Instagram, Facebook, and X (Twitter).

The Band wishes you all the best this festive season and into the New Year.

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CINEMA

AT THE MOVIES

October Brought Another Great Day Out at the Cinema, writes Ger Ryan Once again, a great day was had at the Savoy Cinema on 27 October when we held our bi-annual family screening. On the Bank Holiday Monday, we welcomed nearly 300 members and their families through the doors of the Savoy. This time round, for children we had two choices to pick from, A Tooth Fairy Tale and Pets On A Train. The animated movie Pets On A Train proved to be the more popular choice. For this trip to the Savoy, with thanks to Sandra, we were able to add an additional movie, Black Phone 2. The idea of this was aimed at broadening the appeal of the Cinema Day and opening it up to members with teenage children, and also members themselves who wished to attend. This proved to be even more popular than I had envisaged and we are hoping to be able to provide this going forward. As always, thanks must go to the staff of the Savoy for making the day run smoothly, and the Sports & Social Reps who were on hand to help out getting everybody checked in and to their seats. We hope to be back once again in the spring for our next screenings.

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CINEMA

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SOCIALS

OCTOBER SOCIALS

A Great Night Out Was Had By All, writes Aidan Leavy

During the month of October, we had our biannual social drinks at the Dakota Bar in the city centre. The four Watches each had their own night, with D watch being joined by some of our newer DFBBSSC members who work ‘normal hours’! We always try to reserve a city centre location so everyone can easily get there. These nights give the opportunity for all of the Watch to meet up, whether it be classmates who trained together, a group that were previously stationed together, or a group from the same station looking to have some fun. It’s a great way to have a catch-up, hear stories and enjoy the company of those we work alongside. There was a great show of numbers on all nights, which is great to see. A big thank you to all the DFBSSC reps who helped out on the nights, and the organising team of Ger Ryan, Gemma Kiernan, and Stephen O’Neill. Again, we must thank Anne O’Sullivan and the staff of Dakota for a well organised event, lovely food and a great atmosphere. Hopefully we will see even more members at the social nights next June!

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SOCIALS

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MOTOR CLUB

GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNING

The 1909 Motor Club Is Building a Community, FF/AP Joe Moran Tells Adam Hyland

A

fter just a few months, the 1909 Motor Club is proving to be a very popular new group for like-minded current and retired DFB members with an interest in all things motor-related.

“We were looking for a suitable name for our group and saw that the 1875 Club, who took their name from the year of the Great Whiskey Fire, were popular, so we took their lead and thought about when the first motorised vehicle was used in DFB, and that was in 1909, when the Leyland motor pump was introduced,” Club founder and Chair Joe Moran of A Watch Kilbarrack explains.

The idea to set up a club for motor enthusiasts came about after FF Moran and Sub-Officer Robbie Dunne of A Watch Dolphin’s Barn who is Vice-Chair, had a conversation about vehicles one evening. “Robbie explained to me how he had once wished for a Motor Club to be taken up by the Dublin Fire Brigade Sports and Social Club,” FF Moran says.

“However, he didn’t know how to make it happen. At the time I had been on the DFBSSC committee for nearly six years and had a good understanding on how to set a club up and get it moving. I started by putting a survey out to the job to gauge interest. Needless to say, the feedback was fantastic. Armed with the information I had gathered, I sat down with Robbie and

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The 1909 Motor Club Charity Event

started formulating the establishment of the Club. Our stated intention was to start bringing both past and present members of DFB with an interest in anything motoring related together.

“At every station you go to, there is always a nice car or bike parked up. I have found that if you start asking around the station, you’ll find out who owns it and generally people are keen to talk about them, telling you where they got them, what they cost, what they’re capable of or some interesting story about what

they’ve done or where they’ve gone with the vehicle,” FF Moran continues. “It struck me that there was nobody bringing that love of engines and eagerness to talk about them together in an organised way in DFB. I found that the only outlet a lot of people had to talk about these vehicles was when they were on overtime or passing each other in the car park going to and from work. We were also losing people through retirement, some of whom were massive motoring enthusiasts who no longer had the chance to share their

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MOTOR CLUB

ABOVE LEFT: There were more than 220 vehicles on show at the launch. ABOVE: The motor shows bring enthusiasts together. BELOW: The Leyland fire engine was introduced to DFB in 1909, hence the name of the Club

interest with people in a DFB-affiliated manner.

“So, the 1909 Club is the formalisation of that, bringing people together who share a love for engines of all sorts, be it vintage cars, motorbikes, camper vans, even boats and planes. We want to give people who invest their time and energy into motors a chance to meet up and talk, away from the traditional gathering places, and that includes retired members, we want them to come on board and get back in the fold, be part of something in DFB again.”

INTEREST FF Moran says his own interest in motors started in his childhood and has never left him. “My grandad was a CIE driving instructor and part time mechanic, so some of my earliest memories are of being in my grandparents’ garage watching him under a car,” he tells me, “and growing up I used to watch the Formula 1 races with my Dad, cheering on the Jordan F1 team.

My first car was a classic mini – I was 18 at the time earning minimum wage, the car BELOW: Tom Smart driving RI 1090, the Tara Street Leyland, in Micheal Collins funeral procession.. RIGHT: With the cheque for Oscar’s Kids after the launch

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MOTOR CLUB

more than €1,200 for the Oscars Kids childhood cancer charity.”

The 1909 Club has also taken part in other charity events, including a collaboration with car club OctaneNation in aid of autism charity “As I Am”, held at the Training Centre. At the time of writing, it was also in the early stages of arranging another collaborative event set for early December involving collecting donated toys as part of “Fill the Jeep for Temple Street”.

THANKS

The Leyland fire engine and crew waiting for the ceasefire during the Civil War in 1922

FF Moran is keen to thank former CFO Dennis Keeley, CFO Greg O’Dwyer, BTO Brendan Carroll, S/Off Stephen McMenemy and FF/P Trevor Harmon, who he says “made using the Training Centre for events possible and have helped the Club expand”. Thanks also go to FF/P Albert DiLucia of the ERCC, FF/P Andrew Connolly of A Watch Finglas, retired D/O Derek Fox, FF/P James Hendricken of A watch Blanchardstown, S/O Paul White of C Watch HQ, S/O Sean McDomhnaill of C Watch Kilbarrack and D/O Paul Creevy, EMS Training Centre.

“All of the above have had a hand in growing and promoting the Club through contributions to discussions and encouraging attendance at events,” FF Moran says. “Without them the Club wouldn’t be where it is now. I also want to thank S/O Paul McCann, S/O Ger Ryan and S/Off Simon Finglas of the DFBSSC for their continued support.”

CONVERSATION

constantly broke down and would clean out my bank account regularly, but it was freedom and made me happy (when it worked).”

LAUNCH The Club was launched in August with a fundraiser for the Oscar’s Kids charity.

“We actually had a soft launch earlier in the year to see if there was an appetite for a motor club, and we got really positive

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feedback because it was obvious people in the job or who were retired wanted to get involved,” FF Moran says. “Fast forward to August and we decided to host a coffee morning at the Training Centre, inviting external motor clubs to participate, all for charity. We asked if anybody had a car or bike or camper van they wanted to display and the response was great. We hosted more than 220 vehicles while Ruff Day Coffee supplied the drinks, and we raised

With the winter weather upon us, there aren’t many opportunities to take vehicles out on the road, but the Club is still very active with conversations on our social media channels.

“We have a WhatsApp group going and in that there are five or six different branches, depending on what you are interested in,” FF Moran tells me. “There is one for cars, one for bikes, and so on, and you can join the conversation about everything to do with that type of vehicle.

The motorbike group has been very active, with chats about everything from maintenance to buying and selling parts and equipment.

“The bikers also met up recently at

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MOTOR CLUB

A selection of vehicles were on show at the launch ©simo_jones

Finglas fire station and took a ride to the Sally Gap, stopping off for coffee along the way and to have a chat. These are the types of meetings we want to see more of in the future. Our hope is that cars and bikes will have similar outings every few weeks, especially in the summer months.

Importantly, for the members of the 1909 club or attendees of events, we encourage them to bring the family with them, because it is very much a family-based Club, and as mentioned, we really want to get retired members involved too, to be part of our community.

“We are also working on getting branded merchandise and to fill swag bags for new members. It is early days yet, but we are confident the Club will continue to grow.”

EVENTS Aside from the odd coffee morning in the Training Centre and Club drives during summer months, we hope to start planning trips to various car and bike shows in Ireland and the UK. The Isle of man TT 2026 is already on the radar, as are events in Mondello Park.

Recently, we had a karting morning in Kylemore Karts (with honours going to FF/P James Hendricken) and we’re looking at arranging a trip to a bigger and faster outdoor track early next year.

The possibilities for events with the club are vast and our hope is that there will be something for everyone at some point during the year.

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COMMUNITY There are 65 members at the time of writing. As well as Chair Moran and Vice-Chair S/Off Dunne, whose interest is in classic and vintage cars and their restoration, Conor Farrell of A Watch Kilbarrack, whose main interest is in Japanese cars, acts as Secretary, and “big petrol head” Karl Stewart of D Watch Kilbarrack is Treasurer, while S/O Paul White from C Watch HQ is on hand to give advice and promote events on the WhatsApp chats.

“All of us are enthusiasts interested in the same thing,” FF Moran says, “and there is a huge amount of interest within the job for this. Also, I really want to emphasise that we are actively looking for retired members to join us, to come back in the DFB fold through our Club, as well as members who may have had a nice car or bike in the past, or an interest in motors that has slipped away because life gets in the way. We want them to be able to rekindle that interest and love of motors. You don’t have to have a vehicle to be in the Club, it is just about building a community and getting people talking. In that respect, it is also very good for mental health, particularly for those who may have left the job or are out of touch with their interests and feel like they don’t have a connection anymore. This is a new outlet for people, and we welcome everybody to join us.”

If you are interested in joining, check out the 1909 Motor Club Instagram or Facebook pages, email the1909motorclub@gmail.com or talk to any of those mentioned above.

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22/05/2025 12:53 11/12/2025 15:33

FIRE PREVENTION The DFB Fire Prevention Team Talk to Adam Hyland About Their Many Roles “Everybody in a building deserves to be kept safe, and that includes the occupants of the building and responding firefighters,” ACFO Fire Protection Mary O’Brien tells me as she gives an overview of the role of the Fire Prevention department within Dublin Fire Brigade.

Having worked with DFB for 25 years, ACFO O’Brien says fire prevention’s overall remit is that of keeping fire safety foremost in everybody’s mind.

The Fire Prevention team, she outlines, has a rank structure similar to the operational side of DFB, with ACFO O’Brien overseeing Senior

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Executive Fire Prevention Officers (SEFPOs), Executive Fire Prevention Officers (EFPOs), and Assistant Fire Prevention Officers (AFPOs) who work a regular work week, as well as D/Os who have come in from Operational firefighting and work to a three-day, three-night (5.30pm to 3.30am), three day-off roster and a further two work a regular week.

“In each District, you have a SEFPO and a number of EFPOs, as well as a D/O,” she tells me, “with numerous functions outside the districts including Events, Community Fire Safety, Residential Enforcement Inspection, Emergency Accommodation, Licensing and Dangerous Substances and Petroleum (under the Dangerous Substances Act 1972).

“There is scope for people to interchange their roles either in Districts or Funcions within Fire Prevention, but there are always experienced, qualified people within each area. It is important in Fire Prevention that we rely on each other, nobody here makes a decision on their own. We have more time to make those decisions that have long-lasting implications.

“Nobody knows everything, and every day we are learning, whether you are new in the door or here 25 years, and we all share that knowledge with each other, across all Districts and within each function, regardless of rank or role.”

The overall objective is to promote fire safety through the design stage and construction of buildings, and then through advice to ensure fire safety standards are adhered to in existing buildings, guided by an approach of “engineer, educate and enforce”.

LEGISLATION

D/O Con Flanagan

“Within the Districts, we work under two pieces of legislation and then also the Dangerous Substances Act for petroleum licensing,” ACFO O’Brien outlines. “The first is the Building Control Act, under which comes the Fire Safety Certificate application process that sees around 1,400 applications for new buildings, extended buildings or adapted usage each year,

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STATION PROFILE

Team meeting of ACFO O’Brien and her Senior Executive Fire Prevention Officers

Diversity within the Fire Prevention Team: A blend of previous experiences from industry, operations and other county councils led by ACFO O’Brien

A Residential Enforcement Team out on inspections of apartments and flats

which is almost 40% of the national total.

The second is under the Fire Services Act, which involves a range of actions from giving out advice and educating the public, to the other end, where we have a full range of measures available to us to enforce under the legislation.”

Under the Building Control Act, the Fire Prevention team assesses each Fire Safety Certificate application made to the four Dublin local authorities.

“In relation to Fire Safety Certificate applications, the applicant’s Technical Advisor must submit a set of plans and a full report that demonstrates compliance with Part B of the building regulations,” ACFO O’Brien says. “These are uploaded to our Building Control Management System and we assess each one. It is foremost in our minds that whenever we look at building plans, we are making the job of firefighting and responding within these buildings as safe as possible.”

ACCESS For the Team, that means insisting developers and planners go above and beyond what is required by law.

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“We check for compliance with building regulations, but we also check to see how practical it is for DFB response,” ACFO explains. “For example, in the Tall and Complex area, we work closely with Ops and other agencies to see what we need to respond to a fire or emergency. To comply, you can build one stairs, but to respond, it is better to have two, so we may insist on that in tall buildings over 30m. Likewise in car parks, it might not be a requirement to put sprinkler systems in, but we insist on them having seen the benefit of sprinklers in car park fires.

ENFORCEMENT While the Fire Prevention team always tries to work with the relevant stakeholders to ensure a building is compliant, when that advice is not taken on, enforcement becomes a necessity.

IT IS FOREMOST IN OUR MINDS THAT WHENEVER WE LOOK AT BUILDING PLANS, WE ARE MAKING THE JOB OF FIREFIGHTING AND RESPONDING WITHIN THESE BUILDINGS AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE”

“This is a major part of what we do,” ACFO O’Brien says. “When the person responsible for the building won’t improve fire safety, we have no option but to undertake enforcement in the form of serving a Fire Safety Notice or Closure Notice, where warranted.

“Last year, we served 11 of these and brought six prosecutions before the courts. This year, we served a Closure Notice on a building, which means the fire safety deficiencies are so significant that the building is required to be closed and vacated immediately. So, while we give encouragement, we have significant powers we use judiciously when we need to.”

On top of Fire Safety Certificate application assessments and inspections, the Fire Prevention team also deals with licensing of premises, events and street furniture, ensuring any place of public assembly is safe, events ranging from the Dublin City Marathon to concerts, and a number of special projects ranging from heritage sites to the Metrolink and the Dublin Region Homeless Executive’s portfolio to the International Protection (IPAS) accommodation. These continue to take up considerable resources.

“The MetroLink is something we have been working closely with Transport for Ireland on,” ACFO O’Brien tells me. “We also did a lot of work on IPAS accommodation, working with the Operational Intelligence Unit (OIU) on pre-fire planning, so our operational colleagues know what to expect when they turn out to an incident at one of

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STATION PROFILE

Teamwork: Niall, Xinji and Brian sharing knowledge and experience as they discuss a Fire Safety Cert application

YOU GET GREAT JOB SATISFACTION WHEN YOU GO INTO A PLACE THAT HAS A LOT OF DEFICIENCIES, AND YOU WORK WITH THEM TO FIND SOLUTIONS” these buildings. That was urgent and we wanted to make sure people were safe no matter where they were, but also to make sure responders could get in safely.

“That kind of work is obviously important, and we work closely with our colleagues in pre-fire planning and the OIU on these matters.”

MESSAGE The message of fire safety is brought across to the public through close collaboration with the social media team, while campaigns such as the annual Children’s Fire Safety Art Competition, events across National Fire Safety Week and the Smoke Alarm Programme that has seen 2,000 smoke alarms issued to community groups every year, keep the team busy.

“Fundamentally, I like that we are helping people stay safe in their homes and supporting operations,” says ACFO O’Brien. “Any new development, we know that because it comes through us, it is going to be built to a high standard of fire safety. We are different to Ops, but we are thinking the same way – keeping people safe. It has the same outcome.”

THE NEWBIE “I’m the newbie here!” D/O Con Flanagan greets me. With 32 years of service spanning several stations and Watches, this year he made the move to

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the Fire Prevention Team, and is enjoying the change.

“I have been everywhere, did water rescue, hi-line, ladder rescue, and you have to keep reinventing yourself,” he tells me. “I did a degree in Carlow and the Fire Safety course in Trinity eight years ago, so I had the qualification and figured I should use it.

“I undertake Fire Safety Management Inspection of premises, going out and making sure fire safety standards management is adhered to. If I find anything is not right, I ask for a technical inspection to be undertaken. For events, I will do fire safety checks, look at crowd control, concessions, make sure all is according to plans.”

Coming in as a firefighter gives D/O Flanagan a different perspective that he says helps him in his new role.

“You see issues that the others haven’t thought about,” he says, “because with my Ops experience, I’m looking from a firefighter’s point of view as well as Fire Prevention.”

Working across Echo District, D/O Flanagan covers the city centre’s pubs, clubs and hotels, part of DFB’s licensing inspection programme, which all have to be inspected during busy working hours, and he says an encouraging approach gets the best results.

“You are meeting a lot of different people and you have to have a certain

attitude,” he tells me. “Most people want to be compliant and may not realise that something is wrong. I get a lot of referrals from Operations who fill out a form that goes to ACFO Mary O’Brien or Senior Executive Deirdre Hazley, and they will send us out to inspect. We also get referrals from the public. Community involvement makes us more accessible. Prevention is the way forward. If you have people spotting things before they happen, that makes things easier for DFB in general. That is where the importance of what we do lies. It is us being visible, but also helping to prevent the types of incidents DFB has to attend.

“The difference between Ops and here is that in Ops the job satisfaction is instantaneous – you go to a fire, put it out, you’ve achieved your objective – whereas here it is slower, but you get great job satisfaction when you go into a place that has a lot of deficiencies, and you work with them to find solutions.”

D/O Flanagan says that working with operational firefighters is key.

“We work very well with Ops, it is important to keep them in the loop,” he says. “I always try to get back to any firefighters who send a referral to let them know the outcome, because it shows you are acting on what they have sent.”

The close collaboration between the Execs and D/Os is something D/O Declan Rice, who joined the Fire Prevention team three years ago and covers flat and apartment inspections, also praises.

“One big advancement over the last few years has been the combination of experience of D/Os and expertise of the Execs,” he tells me. “Many young firefighters don’t realise that the Fire Prevention team are uniformed staff and a big part of what DFB does.

“This bridge between Prevention and firefighting has been helped by many Fire Prevention staff recently becoming members of the DFB Sports and Social Club. There’s now a platform for better integration on both a professional and social basis.”

Across the landing, SEFPO Larry

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STATION PROFILE

Loughnane, who first joined DFB in 2017, tells me about his role in Residential Enforcement.

“There is a range of actions we can take,” he says. “D/O Rice works with me on management inspections, we send out a letter to the relevant person outlining the deficiencies, and work with them to bring things up to standard.

“This can sometimes be sorted out easily, but sometimes results in court proceedings where there are serious issues and non-compliance, however, we always try to work with people to find the best outcome.”

For him, there is great satisfaction in the job.

“You get to go out and meet people,” he says. “It is also great when you see a building is being made safer after you have left it, that you have made a difference.”

As with D/O Flanagan, he feels that a helpful approach is best.

“You have to assess the situation and deal with it in the right way,” he says. “You do get difficult people but the vast majority are good, and once we help them, they work with us to be compliant..

“If we can do our best to make buildings safer for occupants and firefighters, then we’ve done our job well.”

I cross back to talk to SEFPO Dan Fitzgerald and EFPO Paul McGrath of Delta District.

“I started in 2006 as a FF/P, then completed a Fire Engineering degree and was doing pre-fire planning until I joined the Fire Prevention team in 2019,” EFPO McGrath tells me.

“Alongside James Mulholland, I was the first firefighter to come over from Ops. Since then, we have had several more, including John Fitzgerald, Paul Keyes, Derek Snowe and Brian Galligan, who was a retained firefighter in Wicklow, as well as D/O John McNally in our District.

I’d encourage any firefighter to study and follow that route.”

“Our District stretches from the city centre to Malahide, so we have a lot of suburban areas, nursing homes, hotels, Croke Park, the 3 Arena, Convention Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin Port, anything from a high-rise hotel to any building other than a domestic

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dwelling, and we deal with all of the Fire Safety Certificate applications for these,” SEFPO Fitzgerald, who has been with DFB for 36 years, says.

“Dublin has changed more in 30 years than in the 300 years before it,” he adds, saying they are particularly busy with retrospective Fire Safety Certificate applications and with more work coming their way under the Apartment Defect Scheme, whereby any apartment built between 1991 and 2013 can be inspected with relevant actions then taken.

“The building control regulations changed in 2014,” EFPO McGrath explains. “Before then people applied for Fire Certs and said they were going to do X, Y and Z and didn’t, it was selfregulation.

“We are still dealing with these issues of self-certification to this day, getting fire safety cert applications for buildings finished during the Boom that are in no way reflective of what was granted in the Fire Cert.

“Since 2014, there is now a sign off from an assigned certifier, and there is an element of comfort in that somebody has signed off on the fact that the building complies with fire safety regulations.”

Licensing is a major part of the job for this team.

“Pubs, clubs, restaurants, they all come in for an annual licence renewal,” SEFPO Fitzgerald says. “We have to carry out inspections and process all relevant documentation to support either granting or refusing that licence.”

“We are a notified party under the Licensing Act,” says EFPO McGrath, “so if we go into a pub or restaurant and find issues, we can object to the granting of a licence. It is one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal.”

There is great job satisfaction in the role, they both say, and this comes from the variety of applications they see.

“If you were to describe our job, it sounds boring because we spend a lot of time looking at drawings and reports,” EFPO McGrath says, “but while I don’t know how many Fire Safety Certificate applications I’ve seen over the years, no two are the same, and that keeps this job interesting. You have to constantly learn new things.”

THE FIRE PREVENTION TEAM ACFO Mary O’Brien SEFPO Dan Fitzgerald SEFPO David Bradley SEFPO Deirdre Hazley SEFPO Keith Boland SEFPO Keith Brunkard SEFPO Mark Doyle SEFPO Philip Daughen SEFPO Seamus McArevey SEFPO Sean McEleney SEFPO Peter Audley SEFPO Larry Loughnane SEFPO Barry Hughes SEFPO Niall McBrearty EFPO Dawn Richards EFPO Elaine Barone EFPO Jennifer Cooper EFPO Kevin Kinneally EFPO Xinji Zhang EFPO Paul McGrath EFPO James Mulholland EFPO Therese Cuffe EFPO Enda Murphy EFPO Leon Donovan EFPO Brendan Wheeler EFPO John Fitzgerald EFPO Cian O’Cuaig EFPO Paul Keyes EFPO Mark Walshe EFPO Brian Galligan EFPO Derek Snowe D/O Michael O’Connell D/O Declan Rice D/O Martin McCabe D/O Kenneth Cleary D/O Joseph Mangan D/O John McNally D/O Conleth Flanagan D/O Martin Carr

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MENTAL HEALTH

CHANGING GEAR In the First of a Series Encouraging Mental Health Awareness, We Talk About The Problem of Bringing the Job Home, Recognising the Signs in Ourselves and Others, and the Supports That Can Help

T

he work of firefighters and the impact it can have on their mental health is something not ordinarily understood by those not in the job, and this includes family and friends. It is of the utmost importance that if you are affected by what happens at work, you know there are ways to cope, and people to reach out to, and that it is ok to do so. The tendency is to believe it is best not to bring the job home with you, but that is easier said than done. So how do you deal with it? How do you flag up with your partner, family, friends or colleagues that you may need to talk?

What should you do if these people recognise something is impacting your relationships?

How should you structure these discussions? Whether you feel the job is impacting your home life, or you are concerned about a colleague, get that conversation started.

SIGNS

Through our experience, we’ve come to realise that the job always comes home with you, whether you realise it or not. Signs can be physical,

MICHELLE O’TOOLE

Teacher Practitioner in the School of Medicine and Principal Investigator of the HUGS@Home programme at the RCSI SIM Centre for Simulation Education and Research at the Royal College of Surgeons

emotional, behavioural, cognitive or spiritual. Some are easily recognisable by yourself or others, and some will only be picked up by those who know you well. These are:

Firefighters switch between two very different worlds. On duty they make fast, high-stakes decisions with clear roles and expectations and an adrenaline-ready nervous system. At home, the tempo is softer but messier – children can’t find their shoes, dinner’s late, the dog’s barking – and there’s no protocol to follow. That change of gears can be jarring and the nervous system doesn’t always regulate. The same protective habits that keep us safe (focus, emotional armour, scanning for risks) can sometimes look like distance, impatience, or over-protection in family life. From the family perspective, the challenges are missed celebrations, accommodating irregular moods and sleep schedules, and often, the lack of communication. None of this means we’re broken: it means our brain and body are doing exactly what they were trained to do at work. With self-awareness, checkins with family/friends, and the teamwork already used on the job, firefighters can adapt smoothly between work and home mode.

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1

Physical body cues: Tight jaw/shoulders, headaches,

shallow breathing, jumpiness, poor sleep or vivid recall dreams.

2

Emotional: Mood shifts, irritability, flatness,

withdrawing from the people who usually refill your cup.

3

Behavioural: Over-monitoring children, needing perfection,

more alcohol/sugar/caffeine, doom-scrolling on your phone, skipping exercise/hobbies.

4

Relationship signals: more arguments, distance, less

affection.

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MENTAL HEALTH

H.U.G.S is a simple structure for healthy conversations

H= HEAR

One speaks, one listens. No fixing. “What’s happening? How are you feeling right now?”

COPING

CONVERSATION

U = UNDERSTAND

stress will come home at some point

with loved ones or a trained

and tired after a tough call; did

and shows up in different forms. These

professional? Choose carefully who you

I get that right?”

are a few simple techniques to avoid it

need the listener to be. Family, friends,

impacting family life:

spouse, are good for connection and

1

social support, whereas work colleagues

The main thing is to acknowledge that

So how do you start the conversation

Reflect back. “So you’re wired

G = GUIDE

Guide towards healthy coping

Think about how you switch off

or professionals might be better suited

mechanisms. Slow breaths,

work mode, sometimes called

for more technical or clinical unpacking

short walk, tea, shoulder-to-

a transition ritual. For some, that’s

of the event. Simple conversation

shoulder activity.

showering before leaving work,

starters could be: “I think I’m bringing

changing clothes, literally leaving the

stuff home lately, can we chat about this

uniform at work. For others it might

after dinner? I don’t need suggestions

be a podcast/music in the car on the

or fixing, just listening - is now a good

a small action (early night,

way home, box breathing techniques

time?” Importantly, always protect

arrange peer support) and a

or exercise.

children from these conversations. And

quick check-in tomorrow.

Protect the basics: sleep, hydration,

what if a loved one recognises that

Do we need further help?

nutrition, movement, connection

your relationships are being impacted

2

S = SUPPORT

“What helps tonight?” Agree

with others. These are sometimes

by work and suggests you seek help?

considered psychological PPE.

3

Don’t get defensive: remember they

Limit unhealthy coping

are bringing it up because they care.

mechanisms such as alcohol/

Acknowledge their support and ask

For more information

drugs, media overload, and swap for

what they have noticed. Share what

on resources, visit

a walk/stretch, conversation with a

support looks like for you, and realise

www.hugsathome.eu or the new

friend.

they also may need support. Try involve

social enterprise website

Talk about what’s lingering. You

them in the next steps: peer support,

www.hugscommunity.ie

don’t need to share any graphic

professional support (GP, Counsellor),

or see us on LinkedIn

family support.

www.linkedin.com/company/

4

details: “I need to decompress/walk the dog … and then I can …”

hugs-community/

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MENTAL HEALTH

THE CISM TEAM

Dublin Fire Brigade has its own dedicated Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team and approach to mental health awareness, and endeavours to educate all DFB members and their families on the importance of talking about mental health, and recognising when somebody might need to have that conversation.

STEPS

Under the ICISF CISM Model, one-to-one individual support (Assisting Individuals in Crisis) is called the SAFER-R model, which includes steps like stabilisation, acknowledgment of the crisis, facilitation of coping, and referral for further care if needed. It serves as a specialised, short-term intervention designed to help firefighters cope with the immediate psychological and emotional impact of a critical incident. The purpose of this intervention is to:

1

Provide “Emotional First Aid”: Individual crisis intervention is not psychotherapy, it is an acute, emergency mental health approach

FF/P and CISM Coordinator with DFB, Joe Dromgoole, outlines how they can help: Studies have shown that there are two reasons why firefighters cope with trauma: • Having the support of their front-line colleagues • Having the caring support of loved one

like physical first aid. It aims to stabilise the firefighter emotionally and cognitively so they can function and make decisions safely.

2

Normalise Stress Reactions: The intervention helps the firefighter understand that their reactions, such as anxiety, confusion, or being

emotionally overwhelmed, are normal responses to abnormal events. This reduces feelings of isolation or fear of “losing control”.

3

Restore Coping Strategies: Critical incidents often disrupt natural coping mechanisms. One-to-one support assists in re-establishing their own,

normal coping skills and fosters resilience, enabling the person to regain a sense of control.

4

Reduce Risk of Long-Term Psychological Harm: By addressing acute stress early, the intervention lowers the likelihood of developing more severe

Therefore, firefighters are unique in having the support of two families – one at home and one in the station. When I mention firefighters, I am including Officers. Every recruit firefighter has five contact days with the CISM team to highlight the potential critical incidents they will be exposed to, and the stress response they may experience. They are also shown the support network the CISM team offers. The CISM team acknowledge the importance of the support structure that families offer. It is important that families are made aware of the potential impact these Critical Incidents can have on firefighters. To this end, we organise a family night during recruit training, where we highlight all these potential impacts, enabling families to understand the stresses of the job. This support is paramount to reducing the impact of highly stressful work, helps create a positive work/life balance, and allows for self-care to take place. Families are best positioned to recognise irregular behaviours, such as irritability and sleeplessness. If family members witness unusual behaviour, we encourage them to talk to the firefighter about what is going on. Firefighters hopefully will be willing to talk. With family and DFB support we can effectively manage that situation, allowing us to build resilience through experience.

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conditions such as PTSD, depression, or maladaptive coping behaviours.

The CISM team will have no more than three points of contact with the firefighter. Often, these are done by meeting for a coffee in person, but can be done over the phone. If after three points of contact the firefighter is still struggling, we would refer them onto either DCC Staff Support or a Mental Health Professional. We don’t have to wait until after the three points of contact, we can recommend referral after our first contact.

If you need to contact us, the CISM team is made up of a Coordinator, three senior mentoring peer support workers and 23 active peer support workers. There are four CISM phones manned 24/7. I would encourage any firefighter who needs support to contact any of these numbers so we can arrange confidential advice and support for you:

CISM 1: 086 815 0181 CISM 2: 087 210 5276 CISM 3: 086 815 0183 CISM Coordinator: 087 950 7225 Facebook: DFB Stress Matters Twitter: @Dfbstress For further information www.cismnetworkireland.ie

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MENTAL HEALTH

ADVICE

“THE MAIN THING IS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT STRESS WILL COME HOME AT SOME POINT AND IT SHOWS UP IN DIFFERENT FORMS”

As firefighters we can be exposed to Stress Crossover. Firefighters work in a high-intensity work environment. We can face life-threatening situations, traumatic incidents, and unpredictable schedules. This creates chronic stress that doesn’t simply “switch off” after a shift. Long shifts and overnight calls often lead to poor sleep quality, which affects mood, patience, and family interactions. Exposure to trauma (injuries, fatalities, disasters) can lead to emotional exhaustion or PTS symptoms, which spill into personal life. At home, firefighters are expected to be present and emotionally available, but the mental load from work can make that difficult.

Much like a free taker in Gaelic or rugby goes through the same ritual prior to

COLLEAGUES

taking every free kick or penalty to get their mind in focus, a firefighter should

Firefighters have a unique bond

do the same. As Michelle O’Toole says, this might involve using the gym in the

with their colleagues. This enables

station after work, showering to symbolically wash the working day off, changing

them to identify areas of concern.

out of uniform, listening to music or a podcast going home rather than the news.

Because of the nature of the job and

Breathing exercises or meditation can also work.

station life, we work in very close

Structured downtime is important. While this can be difficult with busy family

proximity to each other and spend

lives, have a scheduled recovery time after intense shifts before engaging in

a lot of time together. This creates

family responsibilities. Try to avoid or limit unhealthy coping mechanisms such

an environment where we get to

as alcohol/drugs, caffeine, and the “what if” mind game (replaying the events).

know each other’s idiosyncrasies,

Studies have shown that a 30-minute walk can have the same effects on the mind

character traits, etc. As a result, we

as a mild antidepressant.

are also in a unique position to know

It is always good to talk, so talk with colleagues prior to leaving work about

when something “is off” with a fellow

anything bothering you. Talk to loved ones in a general way about the event (nothing

firefighter. We can have good days

specific or graphic). Let them know how you are feeling, what space you need.

and bad days. The problem is when bad days become more frequent.

The natural response is to ask how they are doing? Based on the interaction, the firefighter can identify that there is an issue and

RECOGNISING SYMPTOMS

When a firefighter is struggling and bringing job-related stress home, it’s important to approach the situation with care and awareness, and recognise signs and symptoms:

seek assistance themselves. Or they may ask for help or assistance in

• Irritability, withdrawal, or emotional numbness

getting support. When the answers

• Trouble sleeping or constant fatigue

to these questions don’t sit right,

• Increased alcohol use or unhealthy coping habits

or the firefighter is displaying signs

• Difficulty engaging with family or friends

and symptoms of distress, their colleagues or officers can contact us.

This has happened numerous times in the past, and we then get as much information as possible and contact the firefighter involved.

1

LISTEN, DON’T FIX: Sometimes they

important to maintain confidentiality and

need to vent, they are not looking for

trust. Offer support without judgment.

solutions. Use active listening and don’t interrupt: “That sounds really tough.

How are you coping?”

One of the important aspects of the CISM team is surveillance, knowing the signs and symptoms of distress and spotting it in each other. To this

2

3

Involve family education to help family understand the nature of the

job and its emotional toll. It’s important

If the situation warrants, encourage

that spouses/partners know how to

them to get professional help. First,

contact the CISM team if needed.

contact the CISM team and speak to

4

Watching out for Red Flags is

end, we have trained up more than

one of the peer support workers. This

50 S/Os to the level of peer support

can then be followed by using the staff

worker so we can identify firefighters

support counselling services or Mental

who are struggling much earlier. The

Health Professional used by Dublin

withdrawal and/or substance abuse. If

plan is to train up every S/O to this

Fire Brigade. It’s important to realise

these appear, escalate immediately to

level.

that seeking help is a normal response,

Mental Health Professionals or Crisis

seen as a strength, not a weakness. It’s

Support.

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extremely important: Expressions of

hopelessness or suicidal thoughts, severe

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FAMILY DAY

FAMILY FUN DAY

The Rain Couldn’t Dampen the Fun at Our New Venue, writes Ger Ryan For the first time ever, the DFB Sports & Social Club’s Family Day left the Training Centre to try a new venue. After exploring several options, we kept in mind that we want the day to remain a closed DFB event where families can all meet up and relax while the kids have a fun-filled day of entertainment, and we felt that Flynn Park ticked all the boxes we were looking for. We had exclusive use of the whole park, and there was an abundant number of activities for the kids and adults alike to enjoy. The big draw was the Aqua Lough, as well as a secluded sauna area for adults to relax and enjoy, so there was something for everyone. That was until the weather decided otherwise on our original date in August, with the management of Flynn Park postponing the event due to the threat of lightning. Luckily, we had a back up date of four weeks later, but once again, the rain decided not to play ball. However, that did not stop nearly 250 people turning up on 27 September and enjoying the day. The rain never once bothered the kids who all had an amazing time, judging from the feedback we received.

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FAMILY DAY

THANKS A big thanks must go to all the staff in Flynn Park who worked through the rain with smiles on their faces all day, with special thanks to Laura who did amazing work behind the scenes in Flynn Park and to Shaun Flynn for accommodating us. Thanks also to the Reps on the day who were at check in for our members and making sure all the kids on the day got a goodie bag to enjoy.

We will reflect and review at Committee level with regards to next year’s event and will let members know early next year.

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RETIRED MEMBERS

RETIRED MEMBERS ASSOCIATION UPDATE

The DFB RMA Has Had a Busy and Varied Few Months, writes Secretary David Snee

F

irst and foremost, the Committee and Members of Dublin Fire Brigade Retired Members Association wishes to extend condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of John L’estrange, Jim McCann DLFB, Dave Stafford, Derek Lawless, Gerry McGrath and Marie Rooney. Ar Dhéis Dé go raibh a hAnamacha, Dhílis.

Chairman Bob Hedderman speaks at the Open Night

WALKS A group of walkers, well led and managed

by John O’Neill, have recently taken on a series of enjoyable walks that included visiting Howth along the Lower Cliff Walk, Bray Dart Station to Greystones Dart Station, a Phoenix Park Trek, a walk from the Point Depot LUAS Station to Poolbeg Lighthouse, South Wall, Botanic Gardens Walks, and a walk in Saint Anne’s Park, Raheny.

The Walks usually take about two hours and end up with some refreshments, so if you are interested in taking part, get in touch to find out about the next one.

LEFT: Former Secretary Tony McCann, who has given great mentorship and advice.

RIGHT: John Hoban gets to his feet at our Open Night

OUTINGS We are planning a number of outings for 2026, and some visits on the schedule for the Association include trips to Cathal Brúgha Barracks Museum, Collins Barracks Museum, Áras an Uachtarán and Dáil Éireann.

The Association held an Open Night on 30 September in The Teacher’s Club

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RETIRED MEMBERS

MASS The Annual Mass for Deceased Members of DFB & DLFB was held on 23 November, 2025, at the usual venue of Saint Saviour’s Church. It was a lovely dry sunny day, which was well attended, and afterwards in The Teacher’s Club, we were joined by the Lord Mayor and the Chief Fire Officer.

CONTACT DETAILS I am currently attempting to update the contact details for members of the Association. Depending on your phone, if you don’t have the Retired Members Association as a name in your contacts, the number to contact us could be under either Jim Dowling or Tony McCann. If you wish to be on the up-to-date contact list, message either the phone privately or contact Old Flames requesting a call and we can do it that way.

It is very important for both the members and the Association to know that we’re in contact with each other. It has come to light recently that members of the Association with entitlements from Cornmarket Insurance can’t be contacted by them for historic reasons, and we may not have the correct contact details to give them so that they can get in touch with their customers who may be our Members.

THANKS ABOVE: Lord Mayor of Dublin Ray McAdam and CFO O’Dwyer joined us after the Annual Deceased Members Mass BELOW: The trip to Wexford was an enjoyable few days of food and fun

to engage with members, non-members and future members. The Evening was well supported a great time was had by all. There was much discussion about suggested activities and future engagement, and I am happy to say that membership numbers increased on the night.

NIGHTS AWAY In October, members of the Association visited Wexford for four days and three nights. It was a weekend of entertaining comedy, music, food and drink, with a Gala Night on the Saturday proving to be very popular.

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On a personal note, I’ve been doing the job of Secretary for six months now, and I find it to be a very interesting, challenging and time-consuming task. I’ve been brilliantly mentored, assisted and advised

by Tony McCann, who was Secretary for a long number of years. Tony has made himself completely available with historic Association knowledge and advice on the task at hand. I want to thank Tony for that, and I’m sure the Committee and Membership of the Association would agree with me. Now Tony has the opportunity to attend meetings as a member, relax over a pint, and heckle the Committee.

Finally, the Committee want to wish our members a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2026. Nollaig Shona agus 2026 Rathúil & Saibhre chugat go léir.

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RETIRED MEMBER

LEFT: D/O McCarthy with his son Aaron. RIGHT: Retired D/O Colm McCarthy

RETIRED MEMBER

PROFILE D/O Colm McCarthy

The Recently Retired D/O Talks to Adam Hyland About His Influential Career When D/O and Mobilisation Officer Colm McCarthy retired in July after 35 years of service, Dublin Fire Brigade thanked him by saying “his mark has definitely been made on DFB” due to his helping shape the development of EMS, BA, RTC and ship firefighting within the organisation. In humble fashion, he says it was something “he was very lucky to be able to do”.

His career could have turned out quite differently had D/O McCarthy not been

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persuaded by his brother-in-law and DFB stalwart Tadgh Fallon to apply.

“I was a plumber, working on building sites,” he tells me, “but the recession that hit in the 1980s meant work dried up. I was engaged, trying to save for a house, and Tadgh was always in my ear telling me I should look at joining DFB because it was a secure job. I knew nothing about the fire brigade - I don’t think I had even stepped inside a fire station - but the

more Tadgh talked it up, the more I got the bug, and when I started to go through the process I really got onside with the idea. I applied in 1989 and was delighted to get in. Next to getting married, joining DFB was the best decision I ever made.”

Following recruit training, D/O McCarthy went to Donnybrook station to what he remembers was a very senior crew on D Watch. “That was a great experience for me because the crew were

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RETIRED MEMBER D/O McCarthy was joined by D Watch HQ for a fond farewell

really good characters and I learned a lot from them,” he says. A year later, he was back at Tara Street on D Watch. “Again there was a great crew there with a lot of senior people like Noel Hosback and Jim O’Neill, so I definitely continued my learning with them,” he tells me.

In 1993 D/O McCarthy completed his ambulance training at St Mary’s in Phoenix Park before he returned to Tara Street, then on to Dolphin’s Barn in 1994, again on D Watch.

“I had transferred there from time to time so I knew some of the characters already,” he tells me, “and it was a much livelier station, really busy, with great characters. I enjoyed every moment there as a firefighter, and I met some very influential people there over the years.”

PROMOTION In 2001, D/O McCarthy was promoted to Sub-Officer and returned to Tara Street, this time on B Watch, which brought some changes he embraced. “I had worked there for a few years, but by then it was the new station so it was quite different, from a working environment point of view,” he says. “Also, I had spent my first 11 years on D Watch so I was used to how that worked, but B Watch was a bit different, and it was very positive experience for me. I was transferred out quite a bit as a Sub-Officer, and also while there we rotated between the Control Room and Operational duties, but I enjoyed it. Most of all, I enjoyed the variety of the job.

“I had been out at the Training Centre for a number of years, so most stations I

Put through the paces at recruit training

Recently retired D/ O Colm McCarthy

went to, the crews knew me, I had already built up a relationship with people, so I found that a big help.”

OPPORTUNITIES Becoming a Sub-Officer meant new windows of opportunity in further education opened for D/O McCarthy, and this too was something he embraced.

From 1996 onwards he became heavily involved in the development of EMS instruction at the Training Centre.

“At that time, there were huge transitions within the job,” he tells me.

“North Eastern University came on board, the standards of training and education in EMS changed dramatically, and I was very lucky to get in at an early stage of that training, which continued throughout my

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RETIRED MEMBER

MOST OF ALL, I ENJOYED THE VARIETY OF THE JOB”

Taking a break from specialist training

A retirement presentation from colleagues

career. Also, the BA and RTC courses at Instructor level were open to officers only, and I was lucky to be able to become a BA Instructor and RTC Instructor very early on in my role as a Sub-Officer. I was influenced by big characters.

“I enjoyed being able to go out to the Training Centre and get involved in training, and going out to different stations. I never really got stuck in one station for a long time, and for me that was great because every station has its own personality and its own characters, every Watch too, and with training, whether it was new recruits or people experienced in the job, it was a different challenge every time, depending on the Class. I loved the variety of the whole thing.”

In 2005, D/O McCarthy was promoted to Station Officer, and was initially posted to B Watch Bravo District as a floating S/O. “You tended to live out of the boot of your car as a floating S/O,” he says, “but I was lucky the way things fell because I spent most of my time in Dolphin’s Barn or Tallaght, so I built up a good rapport with both.”

In 2007, D/O McCarthy got a permanent posting as S/O at B Watch Tallaght, which he says “was a fantastic experience because Tallaght has a whole life of its own”. He continues: “It was a very busy station and everybody just got on with it. I gained a huge amount of fire experience there and had great senior men

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As a young man on EMS training

to work with, and learn from, the likes of Paddy Kavanagh and Tom Doolan, people who had 30+ years in the job.”

Further learning continued for D/O McCarthy at this time, and in 2008 he completed a Post Grad Diploma in Fire Safety Practice, Fire Safety and Construction at Trinity College, followed by a Bachelor of Business in Emergency Services Management at Carlow IT, and in 2009 he was promoted to D/O and was relocated back to Dolphin’s Barn on A Watch.

THERE ARE HUGE OPPORTUNITIES OUT THERE TO GO UP THE PROMOTION LADDER OR TO FURTHER YOUR EDUCATION”

“Again, I was very fortunate to go back to a station I loved, albeit with a different crew,” he says. “I had seven great years there before I eventually found myself back at Tara Street as D/O Echo District, which I was delighted with because I knew I would finish out my years there.

I was also lucky enough to work with Mobilisation Officer Dave Kavanagh there, and then to become Mobi myself, so my career went full circle.”

MER Looking back, his involvement in developing the ship firefighting or Marine Emergency Response team to the point where he is intrinsically linked to it is also something D/O McCarthy is immensely proud of.

“DFB Marine Response came into existence around 1993 or 1994 and started as a collaboration with the Coast Guard,” he explains. “They needed a firefighting capability offshore and they approached CFO Gillick to see if we would partner

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RETIRED MEMBER

Training at Waterford Airport

up with them. The training started then with senior instructors John Sweetman, Gerry McMahon and Derek Cowley. My own ship firefighting began when I did the MER course in the late 1990s, and I became an instructor under the guidance of those senior instructors during the early 2000s, because my BA Instructor experience opened the door to do that.

“From 2004 onwards I became more involved and eventually in 2009, Gerry McMahon who was the Lead Instructor, asked if I would be open to taking over.

The role involved running the courses when they came up, but also acting as a liaison with the Coast Guard alongside the CFO and Assistant Chief. It also involved working on a national level training other officers around the country on the Ship Fires Course run by the Department of the Environment, working alongside Hugh O’Leary, Shane Sommers, Dave Connolly, Seamus Rowe. There was always a figurehead at the top, and when I took on the role, that is when I became most associated with MER.” Having retired, D/O McCarthy feels he has left the team in a very good position.

“There are a lot of moving parts to MER, and it can be a challenging role from an organisational level,” he says, “so it took me a while to find my substitute, but luckily enough, Mark Toner, who has been an instructor and subject matter expert in MER since the mid-2000S, has taken on that role and I couldn’t have left it in better hands.”

ADAPTING Having served for 35 years, D/O McCarthy has seen many developments in the job over the years, but he is confident DFB can adapt to whatever comes.

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“DFB has constantly changed and evolved over the years,” he says. “It is in our DNA to adapt, no matter what we are faced with we will adapt and figure out a way because when we go to an incident we have to think on our feet, implement and change a plan.

“Because I have been involved with external bodies such as PHECC, with a lot of friends and colleagues in An Garda Siochana, Coast Guard, the NAS, you see we all have similar challenges, but what I admire most about DFB is that because we are not an organisation on the same scale as them, our ability to adapt and change and communicate is much better. It is one of the big advantages DFB has. When we get together, we can work things out fairly quickly.”

Although he is not long retired, I ask D/O McCarthy what he will miss most about the job.

“I loved turning out, the adrenaline of going to scenes, helping out the public, I loved the buzz of the Control Room, the decision making, all the moving parts,” he tells me. “Every day or night you were always presented with something different. It was never the same old routine. I am going to miss the crews I worked with, that social interaction, that’s what I will miss the most.

“My last day went really well and I was delighted. 35 years is a long time and I had mixed emotions about making the decision to retire. I knew it was the right decision, but I didn’t want to end up looking like a blubbering idiot, so I was happy with the turnout and the people who arrived as well as the presentation and speeches – I was humbled – and I had a great evening later on.”

D/O McCarthy is still very much

involved with DFB in his role on the Quality Committee of PHECC. “If there is one significant thing I have seen over the years, it is how much DFB has adapted to the needs of the public,” he says, “especially from a medical point of view, and I am lucky to be involved in committees that have some degree of influence or control over decisions being made, because it is important to be able to put the DFB’s point of view across, to still have a voice for them even though I am no longer in the job.”

INTERESTS As well as teaching First Aid, D/O McCarthy keeps himself busy going to Leinster Rigby games, looking after his two grandchildren, and keeping fit and healthy, but he also developed another passion that keeps him involved with DFB. “I joined the 1875 Club,” he tells me. “It is a recent enough interest of mine, and it is a great way of interacting with both retired and active DFB members, but it is also a fantastic subject of great interest.

The Club has brought it to a whole new level in terms of socialising, keeping in touch, and also promoting DFB history.”

ADVICE Having been involved in so many aspects of DFB’s development over a 35year career, D/O McCarthy has advice for new members. “If possible, move around between stations and take the opportunities for further learning and experience that come up,” he says. “DCC and DFB are very proactive in offering educational opportunities in different strands within the job, whether it be going to college or even being part of a group or project such as high rise. There are huge opportunities out there to go up the promotion ladder or to further your education. Also, get to know everybody.

We are creatures of habit and sometimes there is a degree of comfort in staying where you are, but if you get out there and sample different stations and different experiences, it will stand to you. I would encourage everybody to do it.”

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ROPE RESCUE

REEVE ‘N’ RESCUE 2025 Dublin Hosted Its First International Rope Rescue Challenge in September, writes FF/P Cameron Hyland

I

n September, Dublin became the focus of European rope rescue as it welcomed the inaugural Reeve ’n’ Rescue event—the first of its kind ever held in Ireland. Over two action-packed days, ten teams from across Europe gathered to test their skills, share knowledge, and build relationships in an event designed to challenge technical rescue teams and expand their capabilities through shared learning and interoperability.

DAY ONE: GEAR, GUIDANCE AND GETTING CONNECTED The opening day took place at the O’Brien Institute, Dublin Fire Brigade’s Training Centre. Here, the teams arrived to a buzzing atmosphere and a warm Irish welcome. The morning provided participants with the opportunity to meet various vendors and sponsors showcasing the latest equipment for rope rescue and working at heights—everything from cutting-edge hardware to emerging technologies designed to make the most complex rescue scenarios safer and more efficient.

Rescue from the top floor of a Dublin Bus

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Teams also had the option to take part in a series of team-building challenges, offering a light-hearted but valuable warm-up before the intensity of the main event. These early activities helped break the ice and forge connections among crews who, despite coming from different countries and different emergency services, shared the same professional passion for improving themselves and the field of technical rescue.

The tone for the weekend was set by event organiser Station Officer Dave Connolly, who delivered the official opening briefing. His message emphasised learning, cooperation, and pushing technical boundaries in a controlled, supportive environment. After the briefing, teams mingled, exchanging stories, comparing techniques, and building camaraderie. A valuable and common theme at these events.

BELOW: Confined space rescue in a cement mixer drum

CHALLENGE 2

The second day brought the real test: five unique rescue scenarios spread across Dublin city. Each challenge demanded precision, creative thinking, and of course teamwork under tough time limits.

Keeping with the theme of rescues from vehicles, this confined space rescue from inside a cement truck’s mixer drum was another tight space to work in. To add to this, teams had to extract a casualty from inside the mixer without rigging any ropes on the truck. Instead, they needed to set up a high line from the nearby drill tower over the mixer to the back of a fire appliance. Pulling this rescue off required excellent communication between the three working sites of tower, drum and appliance, as well as confined-space work and rigging skills.

CHALLENGE 1

CHALLENGES 3 & 4

Teams were faced with a unique situation: Rescue an injured commuter from the top floor of a double decker bus, removing the casualty through the back window on the top deck of the bus, requiring no small amount of careful planning and movement as space was at a premium and lots of work had to be done simultaneously to achieve the objective within the time limit.

The next two challenges took place in DCC Civic Offices. The building’s internal architecture provided the perfect setting for rescues from elevated walkways and balconies. From High lines, Reeves, Cross hauls, span anchors and deviations, each team approached these challenges in their own way. One challenge also had a medical element where teams had to

DAY TWO: FIVE CHALLENGES ACROSS A LIVING CITY

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ROPE RESCUE LEFT: BrewDog Reeve over the River Dodder.

BELOW: Casualty management supervised

by FF/AP Aisling Buffini

provide first aid and stabilisation to a casualty who had fallen from a balcony and broken their leg. Situations like this make for a great learning opportunity as teams are given pointers on patient care by a DFB Advanced Paramedic.

CHALLENGE 5 The grand finale of the day was a waterbased rescue over the River Dodder. Using a Reeve rope system from the roof of BrewDog, teams had to reach and rescue a casualty stranded on a pontoon in the middle of the river. A difficult rescue in any conditions, but made all the more challenging by the time constraints, this one would test even the most experienced rope rescue teams.

CLOSING CEREMONY: CELEBRATION AND SHARED SUCCESS

ABOVE: The opening ceremony at the Training Centre Chapel.

LEFT: DCC Civic Office balcony rescue.

BELOW: The Rescue Rebels take on Casualty management

After the final challenge, teams gathered for some well-earned refreshments at the closing ceremony. Here, Station Officer Dave Connolly addressed the teams and thanked everyone for their thoroughly enthusiastic engagement in the event, as well as the many sponsors and personnel whose support made the event possible and as successful as it was. More stories and experiences were shared around tables late into the night, and with that the first Reeve ’N’ Rescue event drew to a successful close.

A NEW CHAPTER The debut of Reeve ’n’ Rescue proved to be an undeniable success and showcased the value of bringing international teams together. With strong interest already building for next year, hopes are high the event will return even bigger and better.

SPECIAL THANKS Finally, a special thanks to the event sponsors: DCC, Dublin Bus, Saftey Strand and DFB Sports and Social Club. Also, a special mention and thanks goes to thenDFB CFO Dennis Keeley for his support of the event and to all the personnel who helped to organise and run the event on the day.

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ROPE RESCUE

ABOVE Representing Ireland.

LEFT: Rescue on the towering Capitanía Marítima building.

RIGHT: Each scenario required close coordination

VERTICAL CHALLENGE

An International Rope Rescue Event Brought Opportunities to Hone Skills and Learn New Techniques, writes FF/P Ryan Jackson

I

n October, a team of ten firefighters from Dublin Fire Brigade travelled to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta to take part in the III Jornadas de Rescate Vertical de Bomberos. Held over two days (3-4 October), the event brought together elite rope rescue teams from Spain, Portugal and Ireland for a weekend of technical challenges and shared learning. DFB had the proud distinction of being the only Irish team at the event.

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This was our second time participating, having been invited back following a successful debut last year.

environment for simulated rescues that tested both technical skill and teamwork under pressure.

A UNIQUE SETTING

THE EVENT

Ceuta - an autonomous city on the North African coast just across from Gibraltar - provided a dramatic and demanding landscape for the competition. With vertical walls, modern architecture and coastal cliffs, it offered the perfect

A total of 15 teams participated in a series of timed and judged technical challenge scenarios across the city. The event began with a focus on individual rope skills within a team setting, where crews tackled challenges such as an 80-metre rolling

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ROPE RESCUE

rope climb and the precision task of filling a bucket at the top of a 300-year-old canal wall.

Day Two escalated to complex rescue scenarios, including rescues on the towering Capitanía Marítima building, a high-line transport system on the Puente del Cristo, and highangle access challenges in the Jardín Vertical. Each scenario required precision rigging, patient management, and close coordination. It was also a chance to see how other fire services approach these same challenges, using different gear, techniques, and team structures.

GAINING EXPERIENCE AND NEW INSIGHTS As the only Irish team at the III Jornadas de Rescate Vertical, the Dublin Fire Brigade Rope Rescue Team proudly carried the responsibility of representing our country on an international stage.

Throughout the event, our team demonstrated professionalism, technical skill, and unwavering teamwork. Our approach combined the best of DFB’s rigorous training with adaptability, allowing us to navigate unfamiliar challenges with confidence and composure.

Attending the Ceuta event has deepened our team’s experience and allowed us to gain fresh insights into advanced rope rescue techniques that will enhance both the safety and efficiency of our operations.

It was also a rare and valuable opportunity to observe and exchange ideas with rescue professionals from different countries.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS

ABOVE: Demonstrating great trust in the precision rigging BELOW: Taking on high verticals

ATTENDING THE CEUTA EVENT HAS DEEPENED OUR TEAM’S EXPERIENCE AND ALLOWED US TO GAIN FRESH INSIGHTS INTO ADVANCED ROPE RESCUE TECHNIQUES”

We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to the event organisers, Bomberos de Ceuta, our guide Koko, and to the people of Ceuta for their warmth, hospitality, and support throughout our stay. Special thanks also to Dublin Fire Brigade management and the DFB Sports and Social Club for supporting our participation. Finally, a special word of thanks to S/O Dave Connolly, D/O Richard Elliott and FF/P Juan O’Raw for all of the behind-the-scenes coordination and tireless work in the lead-up to the event.

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ARCHIVES

Onlookers survey the damage

LEFT: Looking on as the flames take hold.

BELOW: Some of the D Watch crew on the night

FROM THE ARCHIVES FF/P Darren Donovan Shares Some Brilliant Images from the Massive Pamela Scott Fire in 1987

Two firemen with a hose enter the building while an oblivious dummy looks on

O

n 27 August, 1987, at approximately 8.05pm, Gardaí Eamon Henry and James O’Meara were on patrol. While walking past 85-86 Grafton Street, they noticed cardboard on fire in the corridor of the hallway of two adjoining shops, Clarke’s shoe store and Pamela Scott’s fashion store. It was a Friday night shift for D Watch, who were on duty when they received a ‘District Call’ meaning at least three fire engines and the Emergency Tender from HQ were required.

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ARCHIVES

ABOVE: A neighbouring staff member brings refreshments for the firefighters. LEFT: There was extensive damage but no loss of life.

BELOW: A newspaper account of the fire

LEFT: Using the ladder to rescue office staff.

RIGHT: The fire tore through the Pamela Scott store

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ARCHIVES

BELOW: Rescuing an office worker.

RIGHT The rear of the Pamela Scott building the morning after

The fire did extensive damage to Grafton Street

At the height of the fire there were up to 60 firefighters and eight appliances in attendance fighting the blaze, which at one stage threatened to engulf the huge Switzer’s department store and the nearby Carmelite Church.

Five office workers from the Firstaff Employment agency, who were having a meeting in offices above the store, were trapped in a smoke-filled room, and they were rescued by firefighters using the turntable ladder.

Seven people in total were removed from the scene to hospital, including two firemen with slight injuries.

Garda forensic experts launched an investigation into the ‘Suspicious Fire’ which cost millions of pounds worth of damage to the heart of Dublin’s best-known shopping street, to see if was triggered by an incendiary device. In the weeks before the fire, stores in Dublin city centre were put on alert regarding firebomb devices.

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The fire engulfed Pamela Scott’s and Clark’s and threatened to spread to Switzer’s

A crowd gathers to watch as firefighters tackle the blaze

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Kildare Fire Service Central Fire Station, Newbridge, Co. Kildare Tel: 045 454 800 • Email: cfo@kildarecoco.ie www.kildarecoco.ie/AllServices/FireService/ Follow us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/kildarefireservice

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HISTORY

Street Fire Alarms were spread across the city, enabling the public to alert the Fire Brigade

ALARM ON THE STREETS

The Era of Street Fire Alarms Is Full of Curious Facts, writes Las Fallon

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HISTORY

D

ublin street fire alarms. A long-gone feature of the city’s streetscape is the subject of this issue’s article. At one point, Dublin city boasted 50 street fire alarms, each mounted on an ornate pedestal, surmounted by a street lamp with the word ‘Fire’ and, in an era before telephones, when activated, were capable of summoning the Fire Brigade within minutes.

Many European and American cities had adopted the street fire alarm as a means to alert the fire brigade to an outbreak of fire or other emergency in the 19th Century. When Chief Officer James Ingram of the DFB recommended them for adoption in Dublin in 1876, I very much doubt he thought it would take more than 20 years for his recommendation to be acted on.

The 1908 system was numbered by fire station districts, starting with:

RECOMMENDATION

B District (Tara Street fire station) Box No 62 Baggot Street, corner Fitzwilliam St Upr 63 Leeson Street, S.E. corner Stephen`s Green 64 Aungier Street, corner Stephen Street 65 Camden Street, corner Camden Row 66 Harrington Street, corner Camden Street 67 Rogerson’s Quay, corner Creighton Street 68 Brunswick Street, corner Clarence Street 69 Clare Street, N.W corner Merrion Square 70 Grafton Street, corner Suffolk Street King Street N., N.W. corner Stephen`s Green 72 Dame Street, corner George`s Street

The idea of installing street alarms which could be activated by members of the public to bring the fire brigade to a specific location where they would find a fire, or be made aware of one in the vicinity, would actually span the careers of Dublin’s first three Chief Officers.

Recommended by Chief Officer Ingram in 1876, they were further recommended by his successor Chief Officer Boyle in 1890 when the Corporation agreed to their installation. Approval for work to begin was granted under Chief Officer Purcell in 1895 and finally first installed on a limited basis in 1903. It was 1908 before the system was fully installed, or rather I should say, before the reduced system (33 of the 60 recommended) came into use.

D District (Dorset Street fire station) Box No 1 Bolton Street, end of Capel Street.

2 Parkgate Street, end of Conyngham Road 3 Manor Street, end of Prussia Street 4 Henry Street, corner Liffey Street 5 North King Street, corner Queen Street 6 Phibsboro, Dunphy’s Corner 7 Lr Dorset Street, Drumcondra Bridge 8 Drumcondra, corner Botanic Avenue C District (Buckingham Street fire station) Box No. 21 Sackville Street, east side, Nelson’s Pillar 22 Gardiner Street, corner Summerhill 23 Fitzgibbon Street, corner Margaret Place 25 (no. 24 skipped on list) Wapping street, North Wall 26 Summerhill Lr, corner N William Street 27 Fairview, Strand Road 28 St Lawrence Road, Clontarf

A District (Whitehorse Yard depot in 1908, Thomas Street fire station after 1913) Box No 91 Winetavern Street, corner Merchants Quay 92 James Street W. Fountain 93 Bridgefoot Street, corner Usher`s quay 95 (No.94 skipped on list) Coombe, corner Francis Street 96 Clanbrassil Street, S.C. Road 97 Cork Street, corner Ormonde Street 98 Dolphin’s Barn Crossing

NUMBERING SYSTEM I have traced the numbers and locations of the system in 1908 and they covered the city as it stood at that time. The numbering system was confusing to put it mildly, with 33 alarm boxes numbered 1 to 98!

The system as installed provided a workable, if widely spread, network of alarms which could be used to summon

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the Brigade to fires or emergencies. On arrival, the crew would be met by the person who had pulled the alarm and directed to the emergency. That was the theory at least. Within days of the system first being installed in 1903, a man was convicted and fined £1 ( a considerable sum in those days) for sending a false

alarm. As an unsupervised system spread throughout the city, and numbering 50 alarms by 1917, the system was always open to abuse and seemed a huge temptation to small boys and drunks, both of whom feature in annual DFB reports which listed the fines imposed.

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HISTORY The full alarm set up at Dolphin’s Barn beside St John’s Church

JOE EDELSTEIN One of those who have gone down in history as a serial abuser of the street fire alarm system was a gentleman named Joseph (Joe) Edelstein. Joe was a prominent member of the city’s Jewish community and lived in what was then known as ‘Little Jerusalem’ in the Clanbrassil Street / South Circular Road area.

Born in Dublin in 1886 to Russian parents, Joe annoyed many members of his community with his 1908 novel ‘The Moneylender’, which many felt cast the Jewish community in a poor light. He was a well-known figure in Dublin in his day and a public speaker on many subjects, but Joe struggled with mental health issues and alcoholism.

I have come across Joe as a witness in the enquiry into the murder of writer and activist Francis Sheehy-Skeffington and two journalists in Portobello Barracks during the 1916 Rising. His input was mainly to defend his good name against unspecified charges that he had acted as a British Army spy or ‘spotter’ during the Rising, giving information on Sinn Féin sympathisers. It is not clear that any such charge had been made against him by anyone.

In any case, Joe seems to have been fascinated by the potential of the street fire alarms to provide him with

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THE SYSTEM WAS ALWAYS OPEN TO ABUSE AND SEEMED A HUGE TEMPTATION TO SMALL BOYS AND DRUNKS” entertainment, and occasionally a bed for the night courtesy of the police. He had hit hard times and seems to have lived on the streets at times. He was in the habit of pulling the Clanbrassil Street fire alarm for false alarms so regularly that it was nicknamed ‘Joe Edelsteins alarm’.

Joe would set off the alarm and wait for a fire crew to come. He would proudly own up to setting off the alarm, causing the fire crew to send for the police who would arrest Joe, thus providing him with lodgings in the police station cells.

On the following morning’s court appearance Joe would be fined, but a member of his community would pay his fine to avoid him going to jail for nonpayment. On one occasion, having been fined for two separate false alarms, Joe refused to allow anyone to pay the fine and said he would go to jail. However, a member of his faith paid to avoid embarrassment. Joe promptly left the court, walked to the nearest fire alarm, and set it off !

His mental health problems led to him being institutionalised at various times.

Joe died in December 1939 and is buried in the Jewish cemetery near Dolphin’s Barn fire station. The circumstances of his death are unclear, and it is widely believed that he died after a road traffic accident when struck by a fire engine responding to a call. While members of his family apparently believe that to be the case, I have not found reports of the incident anywhere.

PHASED OUT The street fire alarms were phased out from 1945 when the availability of public telephones had largely made them redundant. Some later models housed telephones that could be accessed by DFB members to send back calls to HQ, but that day of the street fire alarm had passed.

Unfortunately, none were preserved so all we have are some photos of them in their heyday and one oddity in Thomas Street where the base of a street fire alarm has been used to restrict access to an alleyway at Molyneux’s Yard, near Vicar Street, a last echo of a piece of Dublin Fire Brigade history.

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THE NARROW ROAD TO THE DEEP NORTH BBC iPlayer, 1 series

ALIEN: EARTH

Disney+, 1 series

Noah Hawley did the impossible by developing Fargo as a TV series without tarnishing the original film’s brilliance, and he has now done the same with the Alien franchise.

Set two years before the events of Alien, this series sees the world ruled by five major corporations hell-bent on creating one of three new types of human existence: Cybernetically enhanced humans (cyborgs), artificially intelligent beings (synths), and synths downloaded with human consciousness (hybrids). Things quickly turn dark when a deep space exploration vessel owned by the Weyland Yutani corporation (familiar to any Alien fans) crashes into a rival corporation’s land, with a deadly cargo on board. Full of dread and action in equal measure, it is a very enjoyable return to quality for this franchise after a run of mediocre prequel films.

This intriguing Australian miniseries based on a Booker Prize-winning novel by Richard Flanagan was first released on Amazon back in April but comes to our shores via the BBC iPlayer. Spanning half a century, it follows young idealistic doctor Dorrigo, who is suddenly thrown into the horrors of World War 2 where he is captured along with his surviving comrades by Japanese soldiers and forced to build the Burma Railway. We then follow his life in the immediate aftermath before jumping to the 1980s where Ciaran Hinds plays the older, cantankerous version of a once poetic and gentle soul. The casualty count is high and there are some gruesome torture scenes in the war setting, but this is intelligent and captivating as an examination of the lasting trauma of conflict and imprisonment

YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS Apple TV+, 1 series, 1 to follow Although Jon Hamm has remained busy over the years, he hasn’t really enjoyed a role as meaty and iconic as his turn as Don Draper in Mad Men. That is, until now. Here, he plays recently divorced but wealthy hedge fund manager Andrew “Coop” Cooper, a man enjoying life in his affluent neighbourhood despite his marital problems and strained relationship with his children. Things take a turn when he loses his job and impulsively steals a roll of bank notes at a friend’s party, before deciding to resort to stealing from all of his wealthy neighbours in order to maintain his family’s expensive lifestyle. A flash forward in the opening scene where he wakes up beside a dead body hints at the fact that things will quickly get out of hand. A darkly comic drama that allows Hamm to take centre stage throughout.

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BINGE WATCH

HOUSE OF GUINNESS Netflix, 1 series

DEPT Q Netflix, 1 series, 1 to follow Fans of Slow Horses will love this police procedural, mostly because the premise is almost identical. Permanently angry and PTSD-suffering murder squad DCI Carl Morck (Matthew Goode) is sidelined to the dingy basement of an Edinburgh police department to work on cold cases after his superiors feel his return from a traumatic case was rushed. Despite his demeanour, he has a knack for uncovering long-hidden facts, and with a team of similarly out-of-sorts misfits he delves into the unsolved (and increasingly dark) case of a civil servant who went missing four years earlier. The numerous plot twists and cracking dialogue are good, as are the supporting cast including Shirley Henderson, Kelly Macdonald and a scene-stealing Alexej Manvelov as a Syrian ex-policeman who hides an uncertain past.

Like Succession but set in the 19th century, this dramatic telling of the dynasty that went on to become the most famous brewers in the world is full of in-family fighting. Based on an idea by reallife Guinness family descendant Ivana Lowell and brought to the screen by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, it’s set in Dublin and New York, and follows the aftermath of the death of Benjamin Guinness when the brewery’s fate is to be decided by his four children, Edward, Anne, Ben, and of course, Arthur. Despite its timeframe, as with Peaky Blinders the soundtrack is modern and creates an energy unusual to period dramas, and the stellar cast includes Anthony Boyle, James Norton, Dervla Kirwan, Michael McElhatton and Jack Gleeson.

PLURIBUS

Apple TV+, 1 series, 1 to follow Vince Gilligan, creator of two of the most iconic and enthralling shows of recent years in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, returns to Albuquerque with this new sci-fi series that sees a virus turn the population into permanently happy and content individuals. Rhea Seehorn (Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul) is Carol, an author who seems to be the only one immune to the condition and as such “the most miserable person on Earth”. Unblinded by happiness, she is also the only one who seems to think something troubling is behind everybody’s newfound optimism. Darkly comic and genre-straddling.

MR SCORSESE Apple TV+, 1 series

HOSTAGE Netflix, 1 series From the Oscar winning co-writer of Bridge of Spies comes this lean and perfectly-paced five-part series that, while dealing with a high-stakes hostage scenario, doesn’t take itself too seriously. Suranne Jones and Julie Delpy look like they are having a great time playing respectively the British and French Prime Ministers whose international summit is derailed when the British PM’s husband is taken hostage while on a Doctors Without Borders mission and her French counterpart is blackmailed. Brimming over with bristling dialogue and cliffhangers, it is refreshingly free of political weight, despite the setting and subjects of land borders and illegal immigrants, so it’s one to just sit back and relax with.

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The work and influence of Martin Scorsese is so vast that what was originally planned as a feature-length documentary has now become an in-depth five-part series. Directed by filmmaker and author Rebecca Miller (daughter of playwright Arthur Miller and wife of Daniel Day-Lewis) who was given unrestricted access to the great man’s archives, it follows Scorsese’s life and work from his student days up to the present day, and features interviews with Robert De Niro, Steven Spielberg, Sharon Stone, Jodie Foster, Margot Robbie, Cate Blanchett, Mick Jagger, Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio. A great chance to learn about the art and inspiration of the man who brought us Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Casino, The Departed, The Wolf Of Wall Street and other classics.

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Cancer is still here but so are we

Irish Cancer Society Support Line: Freephone 1800 200 700 Call our Support Line and speak to one of our cancer nurses for confidential advice, support and information.

Our Support Line is open Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm.

You can also visit our Online Community at www.cancer.ie/

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04/11/2021 11:32:51 12/12/2025 13:14 03/04/2023 18:16 05/04/2022 16:22

When a child loses their home, they lose their entire world.

There are almost 4,000 children homeless in Ireland.

Donate now.

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04/02/2020 12/12/2025 16:09 13:13

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

EMERGENCY SERVICES NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

JERSEY EMPTY PROPERTY APPEAL

Jersey Fire and Rescue Service (JFRS) is looking for empty properties on the island where it can practice firefighting techniques. The service says it is looking for empty domestic or commercial properties so that they can keep their training as “realistic as possible”. The JFRS says it has a designated “hot house” for training purposes, but this is used for close quarters training and doesn’t represent the majority of its call outs. A JFRS spokesperson said training in environments the firefighters were unfamiliar with improved their search techniques and prepared them for emergencies, adding: “By training in the same venue it becomes muscle memory as opposed to utilising effective search techniques. If someone has an empty property and they would be willing to allow the service to use it, we would appreciate that assistance.” The JFRS added that the smoke used for the training was cosmetic and did not leave any lasting damage to properties.

EUROPE FIREFIGHTER NUMBERS REVEALED

Croatia has the highest number of professional firefighters in Europe with 0.45% of the overall population employed in the country’s fire service, according to data published by the EU’s statistical service Eurostat. Greece has the second most with 0.41% and the Czech Republic third with 0.34%. The lowest proportion of firefighters per capita are in the Netherlands (0.07%), Denmark (0.08%) and Sweden (0.10%). In total, there were 390,600 firefighters in Europe in 2024, representing 0.19% of total employment in the EU. In terms of investment in fire protection services, Romania has the highest proportion of State expenditure with 0.9% of the overall government spend, followed by Estonia and Greece (0.7% each). Despite having a relatively large 0.25% of the overall population employed in the fire service, Portugal has the joint-third lowest government expenditure on fire protection with 0.3%, equal with Austria and better only than Malta (0.2%) and Denmark (0.1%).

SPAIN FOREST

FIREFIGHTER RETIREMENT AGE

The Spanish government is lowering the age at which its forest firefighters can retire as a sign of gratitude for their work in increasingly busy times.

Firefighters who deal with the devastating wildfires that have become an annual event in recent years can now retire at the age of 60, or after 35 years of service, without cuts to their pension. This puts them in line with firefighters in other public bodies, who have been able to take early retirement since 2008. “We have witnessed first-hand the voracity of the flames and the harshness of the circumstances in which forest firefighters work, said Minister of Inclusion and Social Security Elma Saiz. “This is one more step in the recognition of the complexity of their work.”

CHINA MANDATORY POWER BANK REGULATIONS

Following the introduction of new rules relating to battery-powered vehicles earlier this year, China has now rolled out new regulations requiring makers of lithium-ion battery packs to obtain a mandatory quality and security certificate. All battery packs must now carry the China Compulsory Certification (CCC) before they can be sold, distributed or produced in China, with those not carrying the standard prohibited from use in electric vehicles. A recent inspection by China’s market watchdog found 65 out of 149 power bank batches failed safety checks. The country has already banned uncertified power banks on board domestic flights, citing serious safety concerns linked to lithium battery fires. The Civil Aviation Administration of China said the move follows a rise in incidents globally, including 15 reported cases this year within China’s aviation sector. In one incident in January 2025, a fire broke out on an Air Busan flight due to a passenger’s power bank, causing damage to the aircraft.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

SOUTH KOREA

ANTI-COLLISION DEVICE PILOTED

South Korea’s National Fire Research Institute is piloting new visual and audio devices designed to reduce ambulance collisions at intersections. The system combines a “logo light” that projects warning messages such as “ambulance approaching” onto road surfaces at night, and a high-powered directional siren that concentrates sound in specific directions to prompt faster responses from nearby drivers. In tests, the logo light reduced drivers’ reaction times by an average of 14.6%. The directional siren remains distinguishable from background noise even 25 metres away, compared with 10 metres for conventional ambulance sirens. “We expect this pilot to meaningfully reduce ambulance traffic accidents, ensuring both the safety of emergency responders and quicker access to life-saving care for citizens,” said Kim Yeon-sang, head of the National Fire Research Institute.

MARSHALL ISLANDS

PARLIAMENT DESTROYED BY FIRE

A fire at the end of August has destroyed the parliament of the Marshall Islands despite the best efforts of firefighters to save the building. Fire crews received a distress call on 26 August and spent hours at the site in the Pacific Island nation’s capital Majuro. Fire department and police officials said half the building, known as the Nitijela, had been completely gutted by the fire, including the library and file rooms, while the remaining structure could not be used. The fire is thought to have originated in a container trailer adjacent to the building, according to government officials, and struck during a parliamentary sitting as officials met to finalise the next budget for the country. A spokesperson said that the Police Department’s fire truck was unable to respond to the blaze due to “a critical equipment part being unavailable for maintenance”, adding that local firefighters are under-resourced and not equipped to deal with fires of this size.

SCOTLAND

NEW HIGH-TECH AIR AMBULANCE

Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) has unveiled what it describes as the UK’s most advanced medical transport helicopter. The high-tech aircraft, an Airbus H145 D3, replaces the current helicopter based at the SCAA’s Aberdeen base. Crews will now be equipped with night vision technology and weather radar capabilities, while the craft has increased fuel capacity for longer flights. Air ambulance paramedic Matthew Keenan, 26, said: “This new aircraft is going to build on that ability to reach remote and rural locations quicker and more efficiently without needing to stop for fuel, which could prove to be lifesaving for patients.” The charity, which relies wholly on donations, will lease the helicopter from Babcock after it launched Operation Skyward, a fundraising campaign to raise an additional £2m a year, in addition to the £8m a year currently raised, to sustain the new service.

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USA UNIFIED

WILDLAND FIRE PROGRAM

The Trump administration plans to create a new US Wildland Fire Service that will unify all wildland fire programs under one banner by January 2026. Working alongside the Department of Agriculture, which includes the US Forest Service, the new agency aims to “eliminate fragmentation and deliver a forward-looking, mission-ready system that prioritises common sense, efficiency and results”. A Fire Chief will be appointed to lead the service, which will focus on five priorities: addressing systemic inefficiencies and modernising aviation to create a federal firefighting aircraft service; strengthening interagency wildfire coordination and response and standardising the Emergency Firefighter Program; improving federal partnerships to reduce administrative burden; ensuring wildfire research, technology and IT investments are mission-ready; and integrating pre- and post-fire activities into a complete wildfire strategy through an Emergency Stabilisation and Rehabilitation framework. “For too long, outdated and fragmented systems have slowed our ability to fight fires and protect lives,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “We are cutting through the bureaucracy and building a unified, modern wildfire response system that works as fast and as fearlessly as the men and women on the front lines. By streamlining federal capabilities and strengthening our partnerships with state, tribal and local teams, we will deliver the reforms needed to safeguard our communities, our lands and our future.”

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BOOK REVIEW

C

THE DUBLIN PUB: A SOCIAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY

AUTHOR: DONAL FALLON PUBLISHER: NEW ISLAND BOOKS

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AVAILABLE:

EASONS, HODGES & FIGGIS, DUBRAY BOOKS

PRICE: €26.95

ome Here To Me! blogger, Three Castles Burning podcaster and author, and son of a certain DFB historian Las, Donal Fallon has shown an insightful and canny knack for exploring the rich tapestry of historical, social and cultural life in Dublin with an enjoyable air that shows he knows his audience as well as his subjects. His latest book, written with a contribution from celebrated novelist Dermot Bolger, is the perfect embodiment of his fascination with the minutiae of everyday life in our city, bringing us into the bars, lounges and snugs of the capital to hear stories and tall tales, as well as very interesting facts and insights into what makes the pub such a focal point of our history and society.

Beginning with the taverns and ale houses of the 17th and 18th centuries, Donal brings the reader on a visual journey that passes through some familiar institutions as well as public houses that are sadly no longer to be found.

Every pub has its characters on both sides of the bar, and here we encounter the wide spectrum of colourful people from the everyday to the famous, to the infamous, from the down to earth to those said to haunt certain bars, unwilling to leave the ambience of their favourite drinking spot, all accompanied by entertaining oral recollections and previously unpublished photographs. As well as talking about some 176 different watering holes, individual chapters deal with specific times, movements or fads, from temperance to the rise of the karaoke bar, from the early houses to the late-night establishments, and the hidden histories of world-renowned public houses such as The Long Hall, Grogan’s and The Palace feature, as do the stories of Dublin’s early houses, gay bars and shebeens.

Throughout the book, the author underlines how the Dublin pub has remained intrinsic to the history of the city, as well as the proud tradition of music and literature that has placed it on a global platform.

Speaking on the If Taps Could Talk podcast, Donal explains why he is so invested in the history of the Dublin Pub. “For me, pubs are all about the people,” he says, “the people who work there and the regulars, and there is something unique to this city in the democracy of the pub. For example, in the Lord Edward you had Nobel Prize winning poet Seamus Heaney, who was a regular, just sitting in the corner, mingling amongst the people, so it is so democratic to have the pauper and the playwright socialising in the same place. What drives the unique feel of a Dublin pub is the atmosphere and the willingness of the people to interact.”

The book is essentially a love letter to the city, its people, and the drinking spots that bring out our unique identity. From the Irish revolution to social revolutions of more recent times, this is the story of how the Dublin public house remained and remains at the heart of our city’s identity, and is a very enjoyable read.

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BOOK REVIEW

CLOWN TOWN If you’re a fan of the excellent Slow Horses TV series, you’ll know they are based on the equally good Slough House series of thrillers, and as the fifth season starring Gary Oldman recently hit our screens, the ninth instalment in the franchise has been eagerly awaited. This time around, First Desk Diana Taverner faces the threat of ugly details from covert operations during the Troubles being exposed, and attempts to turn things to her own advantage using the failed spies of Slough House. Slovenly head of the Slow Horses, Jackson Lamb, faithful to his team even while cutting them constantly down to size, has other ideas, refusing to “send in the clowns”. That phrase could suggest the end of the series, but if it is, this very clever, funny and dramatic work would be fitting, and upon reading it, you’ll have to make up your own mind on what constitutes an end. A great read from the best espionage thriller writer around.

AUTHOR:

MICK HERRON

PUBLISHER: BASKERVILLE/JOHN MURRAY AVAILABLE:

EASONS, HODGES & FIGGIS, DUBRAY BOOKS

PRICE: €16.99

SPEAKING MY MIND Regardless of your political standing, it’s hard to argue with the fact that Leo Varadkar became a symbol of a new Ireland as he rose through the ranks to become two-time Taoiseach: a gay, bi-racial and in his own words “arrogant” man unafraid to display ambition. Now “free from the constraints of office” as his publisher puts it, he looks back on his career and explains why he got out when he did, and in doing so presents a sometimes intriguing insight into political life.

The book delves into his meetings with iconic figures on the national and global stage with entertaining anecdotes, but at times leaves you wanting more, and at others gnashing your teeth at assertions presented as fact (he says he is a champion of social housing but the figures from his terms in office would suggest otherwise). What’s most interesting is when he stops talking about his influence and ponders why he left Irish politics in the face of “leak” controversies and intrusions into his private life, musing on the fact that politics no longer has to be for “lifers”.

AUTHOR: LEO VARADKAR PUBLISHER:

SANDYCOVE

AVAILABLE:

EASONS, HODGES & FIGGIS, DUBRAY BOOKS

PRICE: €24.99

REVOLTING: A RIOTOUS HISTORY OF REBELLIONS AND REVOLUTIONS If you’ve watched or read the excellent Horrible Histories series with your children and secretly wished it was ok to admit that you enjoyed it, you can rest easy because the man behind that fun take on past events has just released what is, ultimately, a Horrible Histories book for adults. Having retired from writing for children in 2011, Terry Deary has written numerous other works, and even penned his first crime novel last year, but it is in history that he truly excels, always finding the most entertaining stories from the past and telling them in a brilliantly comic way. Here, he looks at 77 instances from history when a person or people decided they had had enough, and revolted against the powers that be. From well-known revolutionaries such as Spartacus, to a Bulgarian swineherd who led an uprising against the Mongols, to the two suffragettes who mailed themselves to Downing Street, these are great stories told with his trademark irreverence.

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AUTHOR: TERRY DEARY PUBLISHER:

BANTAM BOOKS

AVAILABLE:

EASONS, HODGES & FIGGIS, DUBRAY BOOKS

PRICE: €19.99

FIRECALL WINTER 2025

11/12/2025 15:08

TECHNOLOGY

NEW ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEM Electric powertrain manufacturer Equipmake has launched a new auxiliary power system designed for electric fire engines. The ZEPA V2V is the result of a year-long project in collaboration with Emergency One, London Fire Brigade and low-emission research organisation Cenex, and is designed to support fire services in adopting fully battery-electric fleets. The system enables one electric fire engine to supply power directly to another, maintaining continuous operation, and has been installed on a London Fire Brigade vehicle which has commenced trials recently.

Capable of being fitted to any electric vehicle, and transferring power at over 200KW, the ZEPA V2V connects via the CCS2 protocol and is intended to replicate the role of a bowser vehicle, supplying energy to frontline firefighting appliances, meaning continuous operation without having to return to the fire station for recharging. It also offers a pathway for integrating zero-emission vehicles into emergency response without compromising resilience. “For the firefighting sector, this technology means extended, uninterrupted, and entirely zero-emission pumping capability,” says Equipmake CEO Ian Foley. “Equipmake has been proud to lead on this project working side-by-side with our expert consortium partners, Emergency One, London Fire Brigade and Cenex.” Steve Carroll, Head of Research and Technical Services at Cenex, added: “ZEPA V2V showcases how innovation and collaboration can provide effective solutions to the challenges of decarbonising emergency services. By working closely with fire and rescue stakeholders, we are ensuring that this technology is not only technically sound but also relevant to operational needs. This approach paves the way for achieving zero emission resilience across blue light fleets and beyond.”

NEW WARNING LIGHT

Durite, a UK supplier of vehicle safety and electrical components, has launched a new LED warning light that combines standard amber LED strobing with a new high-intensity non-visible intelligent illumination (HINVII) system to improve visibility in low-light conditions and enhance safety for on-site personnel. The device produces a distinctive purple flash to activate high-visibility materials such as PPE clothing, signs, cones and machinery and make them appear brighter without creating a distracting glare. The new warning lamp includes multiprogrammable flash patterns and operates on 12/24V systems. It can withstand vibration, water and dirt, making it ideal for road-side incidents in low light. “This patented technology enables emergency fleets to access precision warning lighting which quite literally cuts

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through the dark,” says John Nobbs, UK Sales Director for Durite.

“By enhancing visibility without increasing visual noise, it empowers fleet and emergency service operators to improve crew safety without compromising performance or compliance. Truly, a leap forward in lighting safety.”

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11/12/2025 15:09

TECHNOLOGY

TACKLING THERMAL RUNAWAY

Redline Fire Solutions has launched two products designed to address thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries: Thermal Stop, a highperformance extinguishing agent, and Thermal Shield, a protective gel for post-fire containment and transport. The two are designed to work together to suppress, stabilise and secure battery systems during and after an incident. Thermal Stop’s liquid agent penetrates deep into compromised battery cells to cool them and chemically interrupt the runaway process. Once extinguished, Thermal Shield is applied, with the gel-based barrier trapping toxic gases and preventing reignition.

Both products use ingredients listed in the US EPA Safer Choice Program, making them environmentally responsible, and are certified to NFPA 18 standard. The company’s suppression technologies are built on frontline experience, including that of its founder, California State

Fire Instructor Chief Phil Worsman. “We created Thermal Stop and Thermal Shield with the fireground in mind,” he says. “As a firefighter, I’ve seen firsthand how dangerous and unpredictable lithium-ion fires can be. These products are the result of years of field testing and innovation, driven by a mission to give firefighters the tools they need to win the fight safely and efficiently.”

To ensure effective global deployment, Redline has appointed KnightTEK, LLC, as the exclusive worldwide distributor. “Lithiumion fires are no longer rare. They’re in our homes, our streets, and our cities,” said Stephen Knight, CEO of KnightTEK. “Our partnership with Redline allows us to deliver not just a product, but a complete, field-tested system to first responders who urgently need better tools for this new class of fire.”

BATTERY TECHNOLOGY Weber Rescue Systems has enhanced the performance of its SMART-FORCE rescue tools using new battery technology from Milwaukee Tech. A completely new design aimed at maximum performance, extreme durability and operational reliability reduces stress on each lithium cell, with full-surface contact with the terminal cutting internal resistance by up to 50% and heat build-up by 45%, leading to a 40% increase in battery life. The battery’s laser-welded cells provide maximum vibration resistance, a novel polymer coating provides better protection from the elements, and is resistant to oil, grease and solvents.

It is also operational down to -20°C without damage.

Combined with tech partner Milwaukee, Weber can now provide almost every essential tool on a rescue vehicle, powered by the same battery, with more than 350 compatible devices available.

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FIRECALL WINTER 2025

11/12/2025 15:09

:08

If you smell gas at home or on the street...

Open windows and doors Don’t smoke, vape or use a naked flame Don’t unplug or switch anything electrical on or off Turn off the gas at the meter Then, no matter who your gas supplier is, call our 24 hour emergency service.

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

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

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FIRECALL WINTER 2025 VOLUME THIRTY ONE ISSUE THREE

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