Firecall Summer_Autumn 2025

DFB’S EXTRICATION TEAM AT THE NATIONAL RESCUE CHALLENGE

WILDLAND FIRE EXERCISE

DUBLIN FIRE BRIGADE

Editor: Adam Hyland

Consulting Editor: Ger Ryan

Contributors: Ger Ryan, Darren Donovan, Las Fallon, Kevin Conlan, Dave Snee, Sonja Hughes, Declan Rice, Paul Stanley, Darren O’Connor, Cameron Hyland, Stephen Cleary

Creative Director: Jane Matthews

Cover Credit: Damien Storan

Photography:

Dublin Fire Brigade, Dublin City Council, Adam Hyland, Ger Ryan, Trevor Hunt, Ray McMonagle, Stephen Cleary, Damien Storan, Kevin Conlan, Darren Donovan, Robbie Young, Dave Snee, Declan Rice, Las Fallon, NMCI, CFOA, Gill Books, Irish Academic Press, Bantam Books, 4th Estate, Unitree, Chinese Civil Aviation Administration, Qwake Technologies, MOBOTIX, 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.

LETTER FROM THE

Dear readers,

Welcome to the latest issue of Firecall.

From late spring onwards and throughout the summer months there has been a lot of activity for DFB members, both within the job and across the many Sports and Social Club groups.

As well as the always successful Cinema Day and Summer Socials, it was great to hear about the Class of ’85 meeting up to celebrate their 40th anniversary of being the first class through the Training Centre in Marino. Thanks to Dave Snee for his account, and for his Retired Members Association piece. It is also good to see the DFB Walking and Hiking Group formed. Thanks to Sonja Hughes of A Watch ERCC for her piece on their activities.

Our latest Club Profile looks at the DFB Cricket Club. Thanks to S/O John Mahon for telling me how they combine sport, leisure and socialising. The DFB Ladies GAA Team went the extra mile when they ran the Women’s Mini Marathon in aid of Oscar’s Kids, raising more than €2,150, so big congratulations to them.

Meanwhile, the 1875 Club is having a busy year, celebrating as they do the 150th anniversary of the Great Whiskey Fire that gives them their name. Thanks to D/O Declan Rice for his account of their recent activities. The DFB Pipe Band has also been busy in their 40th year, and thanks to Secretary Kevin Conlan for his account of their endeavours.

DFB has always held its own on the national and global stage, and this summer has been no di erent, with the Training Centre hosting the Rescue Organisation Ireland National Challenge for 2025 that saw teams from around the country and from Europe competing and sharing knowledge and expertise. The DFB Extrication team were very successful, and we will be sure to cover their endeavours at the upcoming World Rescue Challenge in our next issue. Thanks to FF/P Paul Stanley for his excellent account.

The DFB Rope Rescue Team were also in action at Rescue Great Day 2025 in Seville, joining with An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces to bring a multi-agency team to the event where, as FF/P Cameron Hyland writes, valuable learnings were shared and brought back for the betterment of DFB.

It was a pleasure to talk to recently retired S/O Robbie Young about his busy and rewarding career with DFB and his many sporting endeavours for our Retired Member Profile, and I must thank him and his wife Lorraine for inviting me into their home to chat.

DFB took part in an EU Civil Protection Mechanism Multi-Agency Simulated Wildland Fire Exercise in spring. Many thanks to S/O Darren O’Connor for his account of the exercise, and to ACFO Greg O’Dwyer for talking me through what was involved in bringing multiple agencies and authorities together to plan for and deal with a major emergency in Ireland.

Thanks must also go to my regular contributors Darren Donovan, Las Fallon, Pipe Band Secretary Kevin Conlan, Ger Ryan and Stephen Cleary.

Finally, many thanks to all at the Retained stations in Balbriggan and Skerries for allowing me to visit for the Station Profile, all who gave their time to help produce this issue, and to Trevor Hunt, Stephen Cleary and Ray McMonagle who continue to provide great photos.

I hope you enjoy the read,

HONORARY SECRETARY’S FOREWORD

Welcome readers to our summer/autumn 2025 issue of Firecall.

The last few months have once again been busy for all DFB members, 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 and Summer Socials such a resounding success.

We are welcoming new clubs all the time under the DFBSSC umbrella, and it is great to read about the new Walking and Hiking Club that I am sure will prove very popular, as well as the profile of the Cricket Club. Anybody interested in forming a new club or society is more than welcome to contact the Committee to discuss how we can help. If any existing club would like to feature in the next issue as the Club/Society Profile, please get in touch.

One very important group within DFB is the Retired Members Association, but as has been mentioned in past issues, they need younger members to join and participate. I would encourage anybody nearing retirement, or indeed anybody who feels they have input or ideas, to go along to their Open Day at the end of September. The details are in their feature.

Also of huge interest is the feature on the simulated wildfire exercise that took place at the end of March. This important exercise not only assessed the country’s ability to respond to a major emergency, but also the mechanism by which Ireland can call on the EU for assistance. It is an important aspect of Major Emergency Management, and many thanks must go to S/O Darren O’Connor and ACFO Greg O’Dwyer for outlining what was involved.

Our Retired Member Profile sees recently retired S/O Robbie Young talk about his varied and rewarding career, and his involvement in DFB’s soccer team, and makes for an enjoyable read.

The Retained Stations in Balbriggan and Skerries were long overdue some coverage, so it is great to see them featured in our Station Profile. Thanks to them for making themselves available. Indeed, many thanks to all who contributed a piece, or who took the time to be interviewed. This magazine would not be possible without you.

Over the next couple of months, we will be informing our membership of upcoming changes to the Clubs’ constitution. This has been long overdue, and will bring it in line with current times. All members will be notified in advance, and we hope to have the changes ratified at the next Club AGM.

The subscription fees will also be increased. Our Club membership fee has not been increased in more than 20 years, and we still endeavour to ensure value for money. This is due to an ever-rising running cost to the Club due to the increase in events o ered to our members, multiple monthly giveaways and grant applications. We have supported numerous new clubs and societies over the past few years and hope to be able to into the future.

There will be many more events and activities coming soon, 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.

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

WE DON’T WANT TO SAVE CHILDREN’S LIVES

Children’s

There has been great growth with DFB over the past few months, with more Club members actively getting involved in clubs and sports. But even more so, there has been a marked increase in station watches socialising and interacting again, the latest craze being the use of saunas popping up all around the city and surrounding areas. We are working with some owners of these facilities and hope to bring deals to our members they can avail of. We are always trying to grow the Club and to make it more inclusive for all our members. One of the aims is to have marked events for every month of the year and we are getting closer to that goal. Starting with February, we now host our annual retirement function. In March, alongside our friends in the Pipe Band, we celebrate St Patrick’s Day. Our cinema days, which have been a massive success cover April and November during the year. In June and October, we have our Social Nights out for each Watch to attend. July has seen us hosting co ee mornings in the park - numbers for this event have grown, albeit slowly, but it is a great opportunity for our retired members to meet up with old colleagues for a catch up. Final the big two, the Family Day in August and Christmas party in December. All these events take time and e ort from all our reps to help and to organise. With that in mind, over the next month or so, we will be

advertising for our AGM and it is at that point we will be encouraging anybody who has the time to give to put their name forward as a club rep for their station.

RECENT EVENTS

• Family movie day in the Savoy

• Summer watch social nights in the Church

• DFB Motor Club Launch Day in the OBI

• Summer Family Day in Flynn Park

• Recruit class 01/25 Charity Car Wash

• Dash in the Park Co ee Mornings

MOVIES @ THE SAVOY

Becoming a staple in the calendar now for all members is the trip to the Savoy over the Easter Mid Term. e team in the Savoy have been fantastic over the years to us and have it all

running like clockwork. We had more than 250 members and their families attend the screening with the choices of Minecra or else e Penguin Movie. ankfully, the Minecra movie did not need to be paused like we all had seen at the time going Viral online. ere were reports of some parents falling asleep, but the sta were on hand to wake them up.

WATCH SOCIAL NIGHTS

With the summer in full swing, we returned to the Church bar to have our social watch nights out. All four nights were well attended by our members, which was great to see. As always, the sta in the Church were fantastic and the food cannot be beaten. e Church at the time were undergoing outdoor renovations which we hope to avail of new year with the sun shining.

THE 1909 MOTOR CLUB

On the morning of 5 April, the inaugural meeting of some motor heads happened in the Training Centre. It was the launch of the 1909 Motor Club. With so many Fire ghters and o cers with all things motor and noise related, it was a bit of a surprise that it took so long for a club like this to be launched. Now with a few events and meet ups under their belts, the club has one of the fastest growing memberships under the DFBSSC umbrella. We wish them all the success into the future and would encourage any new members to get involved.

DFBSSC SUMMER FAMILY FUN DAY @ FLYNN PARK

At the time of going to print, the weather apps are being closely monitored. Unfortunately, our initial date in August in Flynn Park was postponed by the hosts. We did have a backup date held in reserve, and we hope to have a great day on 27 September. e idea of the change of venue was to incorporate two aspects: to allow an ever-expanding

JOIN IN

attendance to come along and enjoy, but at the same time to keep the venue an inclusive place for all our members’ families to come along and to enjoy together. is is one of the few times in the year that families can truly avail of the social side of the job, get reacquainted with each other and it is, I feel, very important as a Club to enshrine that.

DFBSSC ID CARDS

Unfortunately, the Club is not in a position to provide DFBSSC ID cards to our members at present. We are actively working in the background to see if this is something that we can resolve. As an alternative, all DFB sta can enquire through their OICs

in regard to DDC ID cards if they are required for events or to avail of any possible discounts not associated with DFBSSC.

DFBSSC VENDING MACHINE

For those who are unaware, the Club now owns and operates a vending machine in the reception area of HQ. It is stocked at the moment with several badges, pins, patches and hats. We are looking to expand the o erings we can sell in the future. If there are any DFB members with experience in operating or maintained vending machines, please feel free to get in touch with a committee member, as advice in this area is always welcome.

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.

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

ABOVE: Congratulations to those who took part in a Hazardous Materials and Environmental Protection O icers course at the Training Centre in July. LEFT: CFO Keeley presents delivery truck driver Tomaz Zareba with a plaque to acknowledge his quick actions by positioning his delivery truck to assist in the rescue of people from a fire o Granby Row in June.

Congratulations

ABOVE: Congratulations to Firefighter/ Advanced Paramedic Eithne Scully who won 5 golds and 1 silver medal at the World Police and Fire games in Alabama. LEFT: Congratulations to Firefighter/Paramedics Alex Gray, Eamon Fox and MJ Grogan from D Watch Dun Laoghaire who took home 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the Gael Force Great River Swim race in Lanesborough in May.

ABOVE: 20 year service medals were given out to DFB members who have been in the job for two decades at the start of April. LEFT: Congratulations to the group of Firefighter/Paramedics who successfully passed an STCW-PST (personal survival techniques) course as a requisite for their powerboat licence. BELOW: Congratulations to the students who finished their qualification in gym instruction with Coláiste Íde in collaboration with our training school in June.

ABOVE: Batman, aka S/O Dave Connolly, made an appearance at St Patrick’s Cathedral in July for a music event in aid of Oscar’s Kids, where D/O McDonald and FF/Ps Conroy, Cunningham, Rogers and Cook also gave their time. ABOVE RIGHT: Attending a gorse fire in Ticknick Park in Cherrywood in mid-August. BELOW: Congratulations to our newest mini bus drivers, Sub O icer Lambe and Firefighter/Advanced Paramedic Rogers, pictured in June with DFB Driving School Course Director and Senior Instructor John Connolly.

BELOW: Firefighters from Swords, Finglas and Skerries, along with the Water Tanker, respond to a well-developed house fire at the end of June. RIGHT: FF/P Bramble celebrated his birthday with his colleagues in

Station for the second year in a row in August.

from

and

carry out a swiftwater rescue drill on the Royal Canal in April.

was joined by his colleagues from Donnybrook fire station to help him celebrate a milestones birthday in July.

BELOW: DFB was joined by the Defence Forces and Gardaí for a multi-agency exercise at our training centre in May.

In July, a video of Firefighter/Paramedic Ger Devine’s poem “The

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Paula McLoughlin, wife of the late FF/P Dave McLoughlin, was joined by his brother Paul and former colleagues for the o icial unveiling of a new AED donated to the Bettystown Community First Responder group. RIGHT: Swords firefighters at the ATC control tower in Dublin Airport for pre-incident planning in June.

Daithí Ó Se about raising funds for Oscar’s Kids through poetry.

CINEMA DAY

Another Great Turnout for a Very Enjoyable Cinema Day, writes DFBSSC Secretary Ger Ryan

Another great family day was had in the Savoy cinema during the Easter school holidays. On o er this time for our members, young and old, was Minecra or e Penguin Story. With Minecra being an overwhelming favourite on the day, all attendees were given a friendly reminder not to replicate events from cinemas around the world where people got a little too excited at certain scenes. We had more than 200 people attend on the day, which was great to see. anks to Seanie MacDomanhaill, Kevin Conlan and Ray Campion from the committee for helping out. See you all in October for the next one!

FROM WITHIN THE CIRCLE

It’s Been a Busy and Varied Summer for the DFB Pipe Band in Their 40th Year, writes Secretary Kevin Conlan

The past few months have been as busy as ever for the Band, in what is our 40th anniversary year. Following a successful St Patrick’s Day in Florida, we began preparations for the many events lined up over the coming months. e Band receives a constant ow of requests, from solo piper appearances to full band performances, so the preparation never stops. Having been doing this for 40 years, the Dublin Fire Brigade Pipe Band is now a wellestablished group with a wealth of experience. As always, we welcome new members who would like to learn an instrument, and we invite you to drop in on Monday nights at 8pm.

STARDUST MEMORIAL

An important event the Band attended was the Stardust wreath-laying ceremony, held on Saturday, 19 July, at Stardust Memorial Park, Priorswood. e Band performed the National Anthem, and a solo piper played a lament. is was a

particularly signi cant event for the Band, given the role DFB played at the Stardust re, including Pipe Band members who were on duty that night. e ceremony also featured an honour guard from DFB, An Garda Síochána, and the Irish Army.

JOE DUFFY RETIREMENT

On 27 June, the Band was invited to RTÉ Studios for a special appearance on e Joe Du y Show to mark Joe’s nal day on Liveline. We were delighted to be asked, and given Joe’s support for DFB and the Band over the years, we were more than happy to accept. Much to Joe’s surprise, our appearance was kept secret right up until we walked into the live studio. With the help of RTÉ sta , the Band quietly moved through the hallways so we did not bump into him before the show.

While there, we rehearsed in the famous Studio 8, where bands such as U2, e Rolling Stones, and Oasis have played. e show was broadcast live on RTÉ Radio 1 and featured on the RTÉ News that evening. We wish Joe every happiness in his retirement.

e DFB Pipe Band has also proudly attended the retirements of re ghters and o cers over the years, and this year has been no di erent. e Band o en provides a solo piper for the nal parade. Most recently, we came together for our own

drummer, Fergus Byrne, who retired a er 38 years of combined service to Dublin Fire Brigade and Dublin Civil Defence. On the day, several band members joined Fergus at No. 4 Station, where we played for the friends, colleagues, and family in attendance. We wish all retiring members of DFB a long and happy retirement.

40TH ANNIVERSARY

Founded in 1985, the Dublin Fire Brigade Pipe Band marks a milestone this year as it celebrates its 40th anniversary. e Band’s journey began on 26 June, 1985, at an inaugural meeting led by Damien Fynes, who remains an integral part of the Band today, proudly serving as Drum Major. rough music and shared purpose, we have built strong international ties with re departments and pipe bands worldwide. Collaborations with the Emerald Society Pipe Bands of New York and Washington, D.C., among others, have led to performances across the United States, including Florida, Chicago, Savannah, and Kansas. is year, the Band

played in the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Delray Beach, Florida.

Many other memorable events have been attended by the Band, including homecoming celebrations for the Dublin GAA men’s and ladies’ teams and for Kellie Harrington. e band has played at the Rose of Tralee, was a runner-up in the Fleadh, and has performed on stage with André Rieu at the 3Arena. We regularly receive invitations to perform at community events and functions hosted by Dublin City Council. We are a familiar sight at the recruit pass-out parades, the DFBSSC retirement function, and the St Patrick’s Day Parade, where DFB takes up a position at the head of the parade.

In addition, each year the Band receives invitations to attend events with other re departments around the world. Over the past 40 years, we have clocked up countless hours on the road, and this is only possible with the help and support of our friends, family, and colleagues, for which we are always grateful.

DEDICATION

Many original members, including John Keogh, Dave Byrne, and Damien Fynes, still perform today. e Band also honours the memory of drummer Peter O’Reilly (RIP, 2011), whose name adorns our bass drum as a lasting tribute. Leadership roles, including Pipe Major Barney Mulhall and Drum Sergeant Alan Corcoran, continue to be held by members, supported by Chairman John McNally, Secretary Kevin Conlan, and Treasurer Rory Prevett. e Band’s success stems from the unwavering commitment of its members, the loyalty of supporters, and the guidance of instructors Dave Rickard and Ciaran Mordaunt. Contributions from members’ families and DFB associate members further ensure our legacy thrives. We would also like to thank DUBCO Credit Union for their kind sponsorship and continued support.

If you would like to join us for the 40th celebrations, we are hosting a dinner in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Blanchardstown, on Saturday, 20 September. All are welcome, and tickets can be purchased via the Eventbrite link in the poster opposite. Posters can also be found on notice boards in each station and at the Training Centre.

NEW MEMBERS

Finally, as always, we are looking for new members. It has been great to see our new students continue to come down to practice over recent months to both the pipe and drum corps. We are always here to welcome new members as new blood is vital to ensure that the Band survives into the future. If you would like to give the Band a try, why not come along to the Training Centre any Monday night from 7.30pm and learn a new instrument? Beginners are always very welcome and musical ability is not a requirement at all. We would also like to welcome previous members back as well as people who may already have piping or drumming experience. You will be given instruction by our two world class instructors Dave Rickard (Bagpipes) and Ciaran Mordaunt (Drums).

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).

EXTENDED CAMPUS, SETU

Flexible delivery of Work-Based Learning programmes

Extended Campus at SETU works with organisations in the design, development and validation of workbased programmes for exible, agile delivery. is is o en supported by online classes and breakout rooms where the lecturer will guide and support students in undertaking group work and discussion forums. A range of programmes are o ered for the ‘Blue Light’ sector, with details available on our website https://www.setu.ie/study/part-timestudy/extended-campus.

Programmes range from ten credit special purpose awards to 240 credit four-year honours degree programmes, aiming to produce graduates who have the knowledge, skills and techniques to make an immediate contribution to the sector.

DELIVERY

e timetable of classes for the 2025/26 academic year (available now) will see classes delivered using a blended approach (class room and online delivery), which is a learner-centred process

involving digital, printed, live and recorded class activities facilitated by SETU’s virtual learning environment.

ASSESSMENT

Modules are assessed using a combination of methods and each module is delivered and assessed before a student progresses to the next module.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Any applicant over 23 years of age is eligible to apply for programmes as a mature learner. ose under 23 must meet CAO entry requirements for higher level education. Applicants not meeting the entry criteria above, those who have studied at higher level, or have sector-speci c work experience may be eligible for advanced programme entry, or avail of exemptions in one or more modules using the Recognition of Prior Learning route in accordance with SETU RPL Policy.

GOING THE EXTRA MILE

The

DFB Ladies GAA Team Ran the Women’s Mini Marathon in Aid of Oscar’s Kids

Members of the DFB Ladies GAA Team took part in the VHI Women’s Mini Marathon on 1 June to raise funds for the Fire Brigade’s charity partner Oscar’s Kids.

On a beautifully sunny day, nine members of the team ran the 10km in their jerseys to raise awareness and funds for the charity that helps seriously ill children and their families.

e idea to take on the run as a group rather than as individuals came about when members of the team thought it would be a good way to get back into training before a busy summer schedule of matches.

FITNESS

“We started the GAA Team last year and took a bit of a break over Christmas and the winter period, and then to get back into our tness we said we would do the mini marathon, start o with a bit of running,” says Gemma Kiernan of A Watch Donnybrook. “It is obviously hard for all of us to get together for training, being on di erent Watches, but we were able to gather a good few people to go for runs at di erent times, to dip in and out as it suited them. So, we felt that it would be a good pre-season tness warm up. We have a few matches lined up for the summer so it was good to start the tness regime again.”

Donning their GAA jerseys meant the team were easily recognised, but before the race they made sure to underline the reason for their participation.

RECOGNITION

“We got t-shirts from Oscar’s Kids and met up early at HQ to take photos of us all wearing them at the start, and were

given one of the Oscar’s Kids teddy bears, which one of the girls ran with, so it was nice to have him along for the run,” FF/P Kiernan says. “We then changed into our jerseys and it was great to run in them because it is nice to have a group all wearing the same uniform. ere were DJs all along the route giving shout-outs, saying ‘well done to the DFB girls’ and so everyone could see us. Plus, it was good to be able to spot each other in the crowd of runners if we got separated during the race, we could see each other and hang back if needed. Because of this we were able to run it as a group and nish together.

“We went to the starting point early and really enjoyed the great buzz around the place. ere was lots of stu going on, and it is great to have done it in a group because there is lots of excitement and energy to keep you going, whereas if you were doing it on your own it is easy to drop the head. e weather was amazing, there were loads of bands and DJs giving support so it was a great day out.”

FUNDRAISING

Of course, the main objective was to raise money for the charity, and a er setting up a fundraising page on idonate.ie the team managed to raise €2,150.

“A er setting up the fundraising page, we put it up on our WhatsApp groups and got the social media team to share it on Instagram and Twitter, and then just asked family and friends,” says FF/P Kiernan. “We are very conscious of the fact that because we do a lot of

fundraising – we had our gala event last September and the running club did the half marathon in March – we don’t want to be asking for money from people all the time, so it was low-key, just asking if people had a few quid to spare, and we were delighted with the result.”

MATCHES

With the tness regime back up and running, the Ladies GAA Team will have had a busy summer by the time you read this, with friendly matches lined up against a number of clubs.

“Obviously, we only got the ball rolling last year and had loads of o ers from clubs saying they would love to play a friendly or a test match against us, but we just didn’t have enough time, so we are now following up with those clubs,” FF/P Kiernan says. “We will have loads of matches played over the summer. Unfortunately, we can’t register in a league because we have club players in our team, but as well as the many friendlies we are playing, we are looking at the repeat of the blitz we played last October that was a mix of emergency services teams and businesses, so we will be kept busy!”

While the team is growing in popularity within DFB, they are open to new members joining, with FF/P Kiernan saying: “If anybody is interested in playing, they can contact myself, Shauna Wilson or Laurie Baxter, or our coach Paul Stanley who is brilliant, so enthusiastic, and who has given up so much of his own time to help.”

THE CLASS OF 85 REUNITED

The First Training Centre Recruits Reunited for Their 40th Anniversary, writes Dave Snee

On 22 July, 1985, 42 civilians presented themselves at the new Dublin Fire Brigade Training Centre on Malahide Road in Marino to be welcomed as the iconic institution’s rst recruit class to be trained on the premises. In the intervening years, the Training Centre has gone on to train countless Fire ghter/Paramedics at what has become a centre of excellence, but for those who passed through the doors four decades ago, it marked a dawning

of not only their careers but a time of major development for Dublin Fire Brigade itself. Forty years on to the day, that same class got together to celebrate a milestone anniversary. Of that class, four are still serving with DFB today: John Keogh; Paul Carolan; John Robinson and Michael O’Reilly, and 32 are proud retirees. Sadly, six members of the class have passed away: Mark Branagan, Joe Brennan, Karl Farrell, Dave Greene, Greg Matthews and Dave O’Toole. We remembered

them fondly as we gathered to share our experiences from both our training and our careers with DFB. Ar Dhéis Dé go raibh a hAnamacha, Dhílis. We got our evening going with a quick stop at O’Connell’s Pub on Bachelor’s Walk, before making our way over to HQ Tara Street for a visit and a few photos. A er that, we headed to Chaplin’s Pub, where we shared stories over a few pints, with

great banter and craic as always on display. It was a great evening when the members of that rst Training Centre class could meet up and remember old times, to both rekindle and strengthen friendships borne out of shared experience, and I was proud to be able to organise what was a thoroughly enjoyable time for all of the Class of 1985.

CLUB PROFILE:

THE DFB CRICKET CLUB

Co-Founder S/O John Mahon Talks to Adam Hyland About Combining Sport, Leisure and Socialising

“I believe there was a cricket club in Dublin Fire Brigade set up by D/O Roger Finnerty in the 1980s, but it didn’t last long,” S/O John Mahon of D Watch Blanchardstown tells me, “so in 2012, myself and Jim Brennan from B Watch Tallaght came up with the idea to put feelers out and see if there was enough interest to start it up again. We both enjoy cricket and felt there might be others with a similar interest, so we put a message out and around 35 people came along to our rst practice session.”

at was the start of a club that continues to enjoy a healthy mix of sporting competition, leisure and socialising, and though they now play fewer games, DFB Cricket Club still enjoys outings and matches with a family-orientated approach to the game.

“When we rst started, we based ourselves out of Phoenix Cricket Club in the Phoenix Park, which is the oldest cricket club in Ireland, and we would go down there for an hour or

so of training a er our shi ended,” S/O Mahon tells me.

“We started o looking around for suitable matches because we weren’t up to Leinster Cricket League standard, and decided to join the Taverners League for a couple of years, which is for more senior players and part-timers, played at a more leisurely pace.

“We set up matches against the likes of the Phoenix Club Taverners, the Gravediggers Pub team, the Airport, An Garda Síochána, Bank of Ireland, the

Guinness team, large companies who had their own cricket teams, playing 20 Overs, the short format game.”

S/O Mahon is keen to thank the DFBSSC for their support in setting up the club, and for their continued support over the years.

“DFBSSC have been very good to us,” he says. “ ey supplied us with a full set of whites when we started, with the DFB crest on it, some bats and balls and bags, and they gave us huge support, and they also help us out with competition fees, always supporting us and we have never had any di culties with them, they give us whatever we need.”

COMPETITIONS

Within a couple of years, the Club was ready to take part in competitions, and moved to new training grounds.

“Phoenix Cricket Club were very good to us,” S/O Mahon says, “but they have

THE TEAM IS MADE UP OF MEMBERS FROM ACROSS ALL RANKS AND WATCHES, RETIRED MEMBERS AND FAMILIES, MALES AND FEMALES OF ALL ATHLETIC ABILITIES”

a lot of teams down there so we were relying on their generosity for pitch and eld availability, and we moved just down the road to the Civil Service grounds in the Phoenix Park, playing out of there in the evenings where we had easier access.

“For the rst couple of years we were just nding our feet in the Leinster cricket scene,” S/O Mahon says, “and we got to know the Civil Service team very well, and they had a competition

WE JUST WANT PEOPLE TO ENJOY THEMSELVES, WE PLAY ON A SOCIAL LEVEL”

called the Willie Webster Cup, named a er a well-known Civil Servant and organiser of the sport’s Business Houses League, which we decided to enter.”

e DFB Team began taking part in 2015 and played almost every year a er that, winning the Cup in 2018 with a mixed team of male and female members, and it was then that they considered moving up to the more competitive Cricket Leinster League.

“We had started to beat just about everybody in the Taverners League at that stage, because we weren’t that old yet and many of the teams were made up of senior players who weren’t that athletic,” S/O Mahon says, “so we moved up a level to play 50 Overs matches. at takes up a lot of time though, because a match lasts all day, and we only have two weekends o per month, so to get people to commit to a full Saturday was hard because of work and family schedules.

“We played a couple of matches in the Cup but we didn’t get very far. We thought we were doing ok until we came up against the big boys!”

MEMORIAL CUP

A er reconsidering, the DFB Cricket Club decided against staying in the Leinster League due to a lack of squad depth and time for training and fullday matches, and opted to stick with playing in the Willie Webster Cup, as well as participating in an annual competition called the Frank O’Farrell Memorial Cup, named a er a former DFB S/O who loved the game.

“D/O O’Farrell’s daughter Louise is married to one of our members, Ritchie Murphy, and together they organise the annual Memorial Cup event,” S/O Mahon tells me. “We

play against the gardaí every year in the summer when the weather is good and make a full family day out of it, with re engines, mounted police, BBQs, petting zoo, ra es, so it is a great day out for us where we all come together in a very familyoriented way and we raise around €3,500 for St Francis Hospice through it. Louise and Ritchie run the whole show behind the match and do a great job of it. We hope to run it again this September.”

As with many other clubs, COVID-19 put the brakes on the DFB Cricket Club’s momentum, but S/O Mahon hopes that things are starting to get back to normal again now, albeit at a slower pace.

“We don’t have too much training because people have other demands on their time, so we want it to be sociable, not too strict in terms of a training regime, because we are playing at a lower level,” he says. “We just want people to enjoy themselves, we play on a social level. e Willie Webster Cup is a little up from that, a bit more competitive, a decent level with players playing at club level but also people who are picking up the bat for the rst time, so there is still enough of a competitive side, and over the years we have won the Frank O’Farrell Cup seven out of ten years, so there is some success involved too.”

INVITATION

Apart from the Frank O’Farrell Memorial Cup, the club now plays matches on an invitational basis, and tries to get some practice in before every game, but S/O Mahon is keen to invite anybody who may be interested in taking part to get in touch.

“We are calling out for younger members to get involved and carry this great club on,” he says. “ e team is made up of members from across all ranks and Watches, retired members and families, males and females of all athletic abilities. We have around 25 members now, between retired members and full-

time members. e problem is that many of us are getting older, with 20 to 25 years of service with DFB, so we need new, younger members to come in.

“We have a mixed standard of people who play for clubs and people who are coming into cricket for the rst time. We have hurlers, who of course want to knock the ball out of the ground every time, and people from other sports, GAA people, a few rugby players, general sporting types, and some older gentlemen who just enjoy going down and watching the matches.

“No experience is required, and it is always nice to play a game where you can enjoy a cup of tea and a sandwich at half time. e season runs through the summer, so we play in good weather –you don’t have to play in the rain - and the nature of the sport means people can watch or take part safely. ere is a very leisurely side to being part of this club, and we don’t take things too seriously. We are very family-friendly, so you can bring your children with you to practice or a match, and we have even been known to eld some of the older children in our team when we were short a player or two!

“It’s a great way of socialising a er work, a great way to get family together to have a fun day, and it is great to be out in the open, playing in the sunshine. I would love to see it continue, so we need young blood to come in and join us.”

Anybody who wants to get involved can contact S/O Mahon AT D Watch Blanchardstown, Jim Brennan from B Watch Tallaght, or Senan Moylan in D HQ.

IT IS ALWAYS NICE TO PLAY A GAME WHERE YOU CAN ENJOY A CUP OF TEA AND A SANDWICH AT HALF TIME”

WILDLAND FIRE EXERCISE

S/O Darren O’Connor Gives on An On-The-Ground Account of the Wildland Fire Simulation Exercise Held in March

As part of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (EUCPM), a MODEX Exercise took place during the week starting on 24 March. e EUCPM has at its disposal a large number of specialist modules across Europe consisting of specialist skills. ese modules range from ground and aerial forest re ghting to CBRN, EMT, additional shelter capacity and high-volume pumping. e modules can be mobilised at short notice when a country requests them and are usually self-su cient for between seven and 14 days. A MODEX is basically a “Module Exercise”, set to test the module in areas of deployment, interoperability and operating within the multi-agency arena.

OBJECTIVES

One of the main objectives of the exercise was to look at Ireland’s capabilities in responding to multiple wild res occurring across counties and regions simultaneously. Referred to as a scoping exercise, experts in wild re response from across Europe came to Ireland with two main points of focus. Firstly, to assess our capability to respond and secondly, to assess what resources and expertise the EUCPM could o er Ireland if our resources were stretched during protracted incidents.

In order for the expert group to assess each county’s response capability, an exercise and show of equipment was

organised. Many counties displayed their wild re equipment in an order that resembled a trade show style display. Equipment such as jeeps, water tankers, appliances, 4 x 4 quad bikes, drones and incident command units were on show. A high-volume pumping unit travelled from Cork and was shown in use for the assessment team to see.

SIMULATION

Teams of re ghters wearing wild re re ghting PPE and equipped with beaters, backpack sprayers and leaf blowers then took part in a simulated exercise on the hillside. is exercise simulated a

o cers from each of the representative counties returned to the equipment displays and met with the assessment team. e crews answered many questions on the equipment on display but also discussed topics such as tactics, training and policy.

“ ank attack”, which is when a line of re ghters work on one side of the re in order to control it. Common wild re terminology is used across Ireland now as many counties have increased their level of wild re training in recent years. Much like the anatomy of the body, a wild re has a number of parts that are relative to every re, these being, the head, right ank, le ank and tail. Approximately 30 re ghters took part in the impressive exercise and demonstrated controlling a ank of over 500 metres long.

DISPLAY

Following the exercise element, refreshments were provided by Kildare Civil Defence, a er which re ghters and

DFB displayed our Incident Command Unit and wild re equipped jeep that is stationed in Number 12 Station. e DICU was displayed by members of the Organisational Intelligence Unit and the jeep displayed by S/O Darren O’Connor and FF/P Alan McGrath. Alan had just completed a dissertation on wild re response capacity in Dublin and Ireland and the assessment team were delighted to discuss his ndings with him.

ENHANCEMENT

Overhead there were displays of large drones with downlink ability operated by the Civil Defence, while across Lough Dan helicopters own by Aer Corps and Executive Helicopters li ed water with Bambi buckets. is element was closely coordinated in between drone ights that were taking place. Executive helicopters are based in Galway and work closely with Coillte and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. ey have responded to many wild res across the country alongside the Aer Corps and have demonstrated the versatility and e ectiveness of aerial re ghting.

Members of Dublin Fire Brigade’s Senior Management Team were also present on the day and got to see the equipment that is being used by other counties. Arising from the display some new equipment has already been purchased and will enhance our wild re response capability.

ACFO Greg O’Dwyer Talks to Adam Hyland About the Coordination and Learnings From the Wildfire Exercise

During the exercise, alongside Facilitators ACFO Greg O’Dwyer and ird O cer Barbara Cahill, DFB had senior members in both the on-site Coordination Centre and Regional Coordination Centre, and four members deployed with the Incident Command Unit and Wildland Fire ghting Jeep. ey were working with members from An Garda Síochána, HSE, the Air Corps, Defence Forces, National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Civil Defence, Mountain Rescue, Irish Coast Guard, Uisce Éireann, Wicklow, Laois, Kildare, O aly, Galway and Cork Fire Services, Maynooth University, who supplied drones and their ‘Decamp’ so ware to predict plume and ame movement, Wicklow Coroner’s O ce and a number of local authorities.

e aim of the exercise organised by the National Directorate of Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM), ACFO O’Dwyer tells me, was twofold: to assess the country’s readiness for largescale wild res and ability to coordinate operations across multiple State agencies, and to test Ireland’s reception to a request for international assistance from the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in the event of a major emergency.

FRAMEWORK

e framework for a Major Emergency such as a large-scale wildland re set out by ACFO O’Dwyer is:

• Declaration of a Major Emergency

• Escalation Process

• Activation of Plans

• Mobilisation of Resources

• Lead Agency Concept

• Coordination of Resources

• Scene Management

• Information Management System

• Public information and the Media

• Lead Agency Handover

• Standing Down

• Recovery

Two teams of EU experts were on hand to evaluate all aspects of the

exercise and to meet with personnel from the relevant agencies and organisations across the two days, and in terms of interagency cooperation, major planning and execution measures had to be established.

“ e live part of the exercise was set up to simulate a wild re scenario, with a number of sites across Wicklow selected,” says ACFO O’Dwyer. “ ere was an on-site Coordination Centre in Laragh, active re ghting zones in the Wicklow Gap, and because it was a big inter-agency exercise, it was decided that we should test the Local Coordination Centre. In this instance, because there were many counties involved, it became a Regional Coordination Centre, set up in Wicklow County Hall.

“One of the Injects was the evacuation of residential areas a ected by the re or smoke, and they had to be housed somewhere, so another part of the MEM framework was local evacuation rest centres, and we set up one of those in Togher GAA Club, run by Civil Defence

TESTS

“We also tested the mass fatality system, where we set up the in atable Temporary Body Holding Unit deployed to Wicklow Town re station in case there were mass fatalities, although in the scenario we had there were just three, but that system was there to demonstrate to the Coroner’s O ce and the EU experts.

“We had to test the coming together of all the agencies in the Regional Coordination Centre, and the Information Management System being used,” he continues. “We were coming in at Day 2 of the incident, so we had to bring everybody around the table –the Local Authority, Wicklow County Council Director of Service, who chaired the Regional Coordination Centre, An Garda Siochana, the HSE, which included Public Health, the Coroner’s O ce, Civil Defence, Uisce Éireann, various services within the Local Authority, and of course,

the Fire Service.

“All of those had to come together and nd out about the situation that was prevailing, what they were going to do, and then develop communication between them and the on-site Coordination Centre, where the Incident Commander was dealing with the actual re.”

“As well as the re ghting element, we were assessing Ireland’s mechanism for a request for international assistance in a situation where we don’t have the resources in the State to deal with it, to test the response of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism through the panel of experts who come over, assess what is required in the country, before sending back the request to the EU for the actual resources required.

“It was also to test our reception of those people when they arrive, how we meet and greet them, how we house them, how we interact with them on all levels to do with our international request.”

COMMUNICATION

Communication with each agency presented challenges that were overcome, which ACFO O’Dwyer said went well, but communication with the public was also a key element.

“We were responsible for communication with both the public and the media throughout, and that was a very large part of the exercise,” he says. “We had a media sub-group testing each

regional media and communications plan, breaking o to set up press statements, and they did this very e ectively, producing statements for approval, completing a mock TV interview. It was a very active part of the exercise because as the scenario was changing constantly, so too were the press releases and also who the information was to go to. Social media also had to be monitored, with the message of public safety, warning people to stay away from the area and giving them alternative routes was very important.

“A big part was the communication with the Air Corps and executive helicopters for the air support and use of Bambi buckets, with the mobilisation of them being tested. For the rst time we also tested the pit approach, lling a pit of water to be used to pick up water.”

With Information Management O cers present from all three lead agencies – the Local Authority, Gardaí and the HSE –how information was relayed was a major consideration to assess, and again ACFO O’Dwyer said this worked extremely well.

“We had information coming in from numerous sources with each new Inject –from the communications teams, the onsite coordination team, re ghters on the ground, the public, and all of this had to be recorded, logged and time-stamped,” he tells me. “ ey were able to provide a cross-pollination of critical information around every action.”

ASSESSMENT

With the EU personnel visiting every designated site to see what part each component of the exercise played, what the priorities were from each site’s perspective and how this was communicated with the incident ground.

“ ey went back with a much better appreciation of the governance and command structures in place if a major incident did occur in Ireland, and they were very impressed with it, “ACFO O’Dwyer says.

“Did we meet all of our objectives? Essentially, we did,” he adds. “ ere are learnings to take away from every exercise, but there were no real failures or issues within the exercise. Overall, it was a very good learning exercise that brought everyone together, tested interagency cooperation and communication, command and control structures. We are de nitely ready with our inter-agency coordination for a scenario such as this one because we do these exercises on a regular basis, although not to this extent, we run regular table tops and live exercises. e three principle response agencies would be in communication all the time.

“Would we be ready for such an incident? If such a large-scale forest or wildland re was to happen, we would de nitely require assistance because we don’t have enough aerial resources, so the testing of that was important, assessing the abilities of the Regional Coordination Centre and our engagement with the EU personnel, and the testing of our e ectiveness of our receipt of those agencies coming over. It was proven that we could do the request, reception and escalation, so it worked well.”

As we spoke, the wildland re in Ticknick was ongoing, and ACFO O’Dwyer says it was particularly relevant to host this exercise in Ireland now.

“ ese wildland res are becoming more prevalent with climate change, and while we have the Air Corps and independent helicopter services, we don’t have the same access to a eet of aircra that other EU countries who live with this threat more than us have,” he tells me. “But you can see from the last couple of years – Killiney, Howth, Ticknick – that it is continuing to be a threat in Ireland now, potentially an annual one.”

RESCUE GREAT DAY 2025

The Event Showcased Irish Interoperability on the Global Stage, writes FF/P Cameron Hyland

Once a year, the vibrant city of Seville in Spain becomes the stage for one of the world’s toughest rescue competitions. Teams from across the globe gather to take part in a dynamic and demanding rope rescue competition: Rescue Great Day.

For four days, the city becomes a hub of technical skill, teamwork, and international camaraderie as rescuers from around the world push themselves through a series of challenging scenarios,

in a real-world setting. is year, the competition saw a record-breaking 41 teams descend on Seville, bringing with them a wealth of experience and a shared passion for rope rescue. Among them was our unique team from Ireland.

On previous trips to the competition, our team was made up entirely of DFB personnel, however this year our team was comprised of members from Dublin Fire Brigade, An Garda Síochána, and the Irish Defence Forces.

Together, we formed a multi-agency team with the goal of expanding our technical abilities, learning from other teams and developing interoperability between our services - something that has become crucial for modern emergency response.

ONE TEAM, ONE MISSION

Our team this year was unique and somewhat of an experiment. It’s the rst time an Irish multi-agency team has competed in an event like this. While each member brought their own operational experience and perspectives to the table, the question was could our di erent methods work together and complement each other?

I think we quickly realised the

answer to this question, even before we le home for the competition. From the training we did leading up to rescue great day it became clear that our collective skills allowed the team to adapt quickly, to “plug the gaps” wherever they arose. With this and our trust in each other’s abilities, we were con dent we could tackle the wide range of scenarios we would face.

SCENARIOS

Over the course of the competition, the team faced 11 complex scenarios that were both physically and technically challenging. e organisers thought of everything from con ned space extrication, rescues suspended over an 80m high dam, 200m rope systems in

an Olympic stadium, and even rescuing a dummy mountain goat. All of this was done in conditions that mirrored real-world emergencies, with the added pressure of time limits for each rescue and the watchful eye of the judges. But beyond the scores and the stopwatch, the real value was in what happened between the scenarios.

GLOBAL LEARNING GROUND

e atmosphere at Rescue Great Day is truly unique. e air buzzes with conversation, shared techniques, shouts of encouragement from passing teams, respect and comradery. For our team, it was a rare opportunity to observe and exchange ideas with rescue professionals from countries all around the world. is blend of competition and collaboration is what makes Rescue Great Day so valuable. It fosters a culture of open knowledge exchange. Every scenario becomes a classroom, every conversation a lesson, and teams

are eager to share knowledge and experiences. As well as this, the scenarios push us to think di erently, to challenge our own approaches, and each year the lessons we learn lead to improvements in how we operate in these situations back home. Improvements we hope now will bene t not only the re service, but also the other team members’ organisations as well.

LOOKING AHEAD

We may not have taken home a trophy this year, but what we gained was far more valuable, a deeper understanding of each other’s capabilities, a renewed appreciation for the value of interoperability, and a wealth of new knowledge and friendships that will stay with us long a er the ropes are packed away.

Most of all I am proud to have stood alongside a team whose skill, character and commitment shone through in every scenario. But just as we thought it was over, the team’s adaptability was put to the test one last time when an unprecedented power outage hit Spain, grounding ights and stranding us in Seville airport.

What could have been a chaotic and frustrating end to the trip instead became another example of the team’s ability to quickly nd a solution and problem solve under pressure. Within no time we had our hire car back, our hotel booked and a new plan to get home. Just like in the scenarios, everyone played their part and we made the best of an unexpected situation together.

THANKS

I would like to thank everyone in the Irish Defence Forces and An Garda Síochána who helped us in organising the trip, Dublin Fire Brigade Chief Fire O cer Dennis Keeley for his continued support of the team, and DUBCO For their sponsorship. We’re already looking forward to the next opportunity to grow, learn and represent Ireland on the international stage.

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THE RETIRED MEMBERS ASSOCIATION UPDATE

The DFB RMA Continues to Keep a Busy Schedule And Invites Input from Members at Our Upcoming Open Day, writes Secretary David Snee

It has, as always, been a busy few months for the Dublin Fire Brigade Retired Members Association.

CONDOLENCES

Firstly, we wish to o er our sincere condolences to the families, colleagues and friends of Members of Dublin Fire Brigade who have passed away in 2025: Peter Kavanagh, Willie McFadden, Kevin Flynn, Michael Dineen, Jesse Owens, Pascal Heary, Ronnie Prouse, Jimmy Hartnett and Pat Mulcahy.

SOCIAL EVENTS

Since the spring edition of Firecall, Members of Dublin Fire Brigade Retired Members Association have been busy with a wide range of social events. ese included DFBSSC Summer Nights at e Church and the Taste of Dublin Festival in June, the DASH to the Park co ee morning in the Phoenix Park in July, and an outing to Shelbourne Park for a night of greyhound racing in July. Also in July, Members of e

Association attended a Tri-Service Wreath Laying Ceremony to the Memory of the Stardust Fire Victims.

RAFFLE

At the Monthly Meeting for June 2025, the Summer Ra e was held with ve prizes up for grabs. Brian Stewart, Mick Garry, Brendan Lodola, Liam Clarke and Tony Connolly were the lucky ones who took home €200 each, and all were popular winners.

STAYING INFORMED

One of the Primary Functions of e Association is to keep the Membership informed about all aspects of Social Welfare Entitlements and future changes to Pensions and Pensioner’s Rights. e Association realises that younger Retired Members may believe that these changes don’t a ect them, but they do, and they will in the future. e Committee and Members who attend the Monthly Meetings are curious to know what needs to be done to increase attendance numbers at the Meetings. Are there clubs or interest groups that would like to come under the Association ag? Are there Members who would be interested in bringing hobbies to the fore?

MEETINGS

e Meetings are held on the last Tuesday of the month, starting at 8pm. e Minutes for the previous meeting are read and adopted, a er which the Treasurer gives an up-todate Statement of Accounts. A er that, issues of interest and relevance to retired people, pensions, Social Welfare, insurance, rights and entitlements are discussed. We then discuss plan any upcoming Social & Sports Events, but the business element of the evening only takes about half an hour before we move on to having a few pints, and a bit of chat and banter, so it is always an enjoyable evening. ere is a secure car park to the rear of the building and a li to the Bar. Public Transport also caters quite well for Members.

OPEN DAY

There are currently 141 Members of The Association, but unfortunately only about 20 attend our Monthly Meetings. The Committee of The Association would dearly love to see those numbers increase, so to that end, an Open Night is planned for September at which we hope to hear from you on what we can do to increase attendance and become more of an appeal to our colleagues.

When: Tuesday, 30 September at 8pm

Where: The Teacher’s Club, Parnell Square, Dublin 1

On the night there will be a few pints and some sandwiches available. The Night will be Open to Members & Non-Members of the Association, Retired and Retiring Members of Dublin Fire Brigade, Dun Laoghaire Fire Brigade, Swords, Malahide, Skerries and Balbriggan Fire Brigades. Again, The Association is curious to know what needs to be done to improve things. So why not join us on 30 September, tell us what you think, and then make an informed up-to-date decision about how we all go forward with The Association?

RAISING STANDARDS

DFB Hosted a World Class Rescue Challenge and Swept the Board, writes FF/P Paul Stanley

On 24 May, Dublin Fire Brigade proudly hosted the Rescue Organisation Ireland National Challenge for 2025, the premier event in the eld of road tra c collision (RTC) and Trauma response in Ireland.

Held over the course of a single tightly-run day, the event drew eight elite teams from across Ireland, England, Austria and Luxembourg. It was attended by Mr Paul Schroeder, Chair of the World Rescue Organisation and Director of Emergency Services in Luxembourg, who praised DFB for its professionalism and smooth coordination, and extended thanks to the CFO for his co-operation.

THANKS

anks to S/O Stephen McMenemy and his team, and to D/O Declan Rice for their months of preparation in making it a success. anks also to S/O Ritchie Hunter for assisting with team transportation and airport pick-ups. It was a proud occasion for DFB, not only for successfully hosting such a prestigious event on home soil, but also for the teams who delivered an outstanding all-round performance on the day that demonstrated the depth of talent within the organisation.

e event was a great family day out and well-advertised in our Request to Speak Bulletin. Although the focus was

RTC and Trauma, there was lots more going on during the day too. Supported by Dublin City Council, our DFB Sports and Social Club, the face painters, the DJ, the Road Safety Authority, Equipment vendors, the obligatory ice-cream van and local co ee roasters.

anks to S/O Dave Connolly and his Highline Rescue Team for putting on displays for other services and to Keith Carolan and the Coast Guard Helicopter for their y-bys, something that all the kids (big and small) really enjoyed.

anks to D/O Noel Jackson and S/O Paul Carolan for their assistance in the RTC pits. anks also to course director Jonathon Regan and his volunteers from

the Paramedic Class who helped all day long. Final thanks to Lisa Brennan and her team for keeping us all fuelled for the day.

EXTRICATION CHALLENGE

e structure of the challenge was both physically and mentally demanding for the teams, designed to replicate the reallife demands of road tra c incidents. Across the day, each RTC extrication team competed in two separate scenarios, carefully designed to test a wide range of skills. ey were assessed in areas such as technical cutting and patient handling, command and control of the scene and medical care delivered.

is format created a highperformance environment that demanded leadership, adaptability, and sharp clinical thinking to achieve the goals in a speci c amount of time, qualities that the DFB team displayed in abundance. Led by S/O Stephen Bon l, the team demonstrated awless scene control, precise and safe use of multiple tools, and a patientcentred approach with excellent care throughout their two scenarios. As a result, our extrication team rose to the challenge in spectacular fashion, achieving a remarkable clean sweep of the top awards:

• Best Overall Team

• Best Incident Commander: Sub-O cer Stephen Bon l (CHQ)

• Best Technical Team: Liam Ca rey (D5), David Lorenzo (D9), and Keith Russell (D5)

• Best Medical Team: Paul Stanley (D5) and Eithne Scully (D2) Judges praised the RTC crew for their e ciency, calmness under pressure, and ability to adapt their strategy midscenario. e balance of technical and medical care re ected the integrated dual role of our re ghter/paramedics. It was obvious to all present, that our Fire-EMS system really is the gold standard and something we and the public should be very proud of.

TRAUMA CHALLENGE

Such is the interest from the job this year, that for the rst time, DFB entered two trauma teams into this year’s challenge. Two teams were selected from a large panel of sta who had expressed interest and showed up for training. Aaron Cullen (BHQ), Alan Barnett (B4), Andrew Dowling (C2) and Dillon Somers (BHQ) were the members selected for our trauma teams on this occasion. Huge thanks to FF/ AP Eithne Scully for co-ordinating this process. On the day the two teams showcased composure, exceptional skill, and clinical accuracy across three diverse and complex scenarios. eir exibility and ability to interchange teams is a

testament to the rst-class training received by all our re ghter/paramedics in our Training Centre.

Scenarios included simulated assaults, falls from height and blunt trauma cases requiring rapid assessment, airway management and e ective teamwork under time pressure. is year, a new concept of a mass casualty triage scenario was added, which both DFB teams excelled in. e judges commended DFB for its consistency in clinical standards and scene leadership across all trauma scenarios. One of our teams (Aaron and Alan) nished in joint 1st place, while the other (Andrew and Dillon) narrowly missed the podium, but still delivered a solid performance at their rst challenge.

A key element of this year’s Trauma preparation was the strong inter-agency partnership with Dublin Civil Defence, whose trauma team went on to take 1st place overall in the trauma competition. Regular joint training sessions focused on communication, patient handovers,

and building mutual understanding — all of which translated into real-world performance on the day. “Working closely with Civil Defence made both our teams better,” said Advanced Paramedic Eithne Scully. “ ere’s a mutual respect and shared ambition that pushes everyone forward.”

LEARNING, SHARING AND RAISING STANDARDS

Behind every successful competition is months of meticulous preparation and our teams le nothing to chance. e team members trained extensively at the DFB Training Centre in Marino, running full simulations under timed conditions, rotating roles and receiving structured feedback from experienced instructors and peers. anks to the

BTO, ABTO and our multiple patients and assessors who helped during this time. In total, the teams put in more than 16 training sessions in preparation for this competition, with an average of 3 hours per session with 12-14 people per session; we are talking about approximately 700 hours of training to achieve this result.

While competition was erce, the atmosphere throughout the event was rooted in mutual respect, knowledge exchange, and a shared passion for saving lives. International assessors provided structured feedback, and debriefs a er each scenario became valuable moments of learning and self-improvement. Visitors and guests including new job applicants, college students, healthcare professionals, and

international observers were treated to a display of high-performance rescue in action. e collaborative nature of the event made it not just a competition, but a living classroom.

SOCIAL MEDIA

e event also proved to be a huge success on DFB social media channels, drawing unprecedented engagement across platforms. A standout moment came during a live broadcast on TikTok, where more than 15,000 viewers tuned in simultaneously to watch one of the RTC scenarios unfold. e realism and intensity of the simulation were so convincing that many viewers believed they were witnessing a real-life road tra c collision in progress. e viral reach of the livestream not only

showcased the professionalism of the participating teams but also highlighted the power of social media in raising public awareness around road safety, road deaths and our emergency rescue e orts. anks to Stephen, Trevor and Paddy for their hard work and capturing the day.

WORLD RESCUE CHALLENGE

With the success of the National Challenge behind them and automatic quali cation, DFB now has its sights rmly set on the World Rescue Challenge 2025, which will take place in Karlovac, Croatia, from 9 to 14 September. DFB’s teams will represent Ireland on the global stage, competing against the best in the world across both RTC and Trauma disciplines. Having nished in 11th place overall in 2024, the RTC team are hoping to achieve a top ten nish this year. “ e National Challenge showed us what we’re capable of,” said technician Keith Russell. “but the world stage will push us even harder — but we’re ready for it.” is year, we are joining forces with other Irish organisations attending the event, instead of acting independently. Together we are stronger #teamireland.

STATION PROFILE BALBRIGGAN AND SKERRIES

The Crews at DFB’s Retained Stations Tell Adam Hyland About the Commitment And Flexibility Needed To Do Their Job

This year, changes were brought in that mean the crews at the two DFB Retained Stations in Balbriggan and Skerries now work a week-on-call and exi-week-o system, from Tuesday to Tuesday, and within that work week they are expected to be on call and ready to move at the drop of a hat, 24/7. Apart from not taking

on paramedic duties, the only di erence between their roles and that of other DFB crews is that they are not based at their station when on duty, and while that does allow for other work outside DFB, the reality is that the job takes up most of their time.

“It can get fairly busy here, with an average of 40 to 50 callouts per month,” Balbriggan Sub-O cer Glenn Fitgerald says, “so while some of our crew do have other jobs outside DFB, such as taxi drivers, business owners, a gym instructor, many of us are kept going with this job.

“I used to work in Dublin Bus but was called up in 2016 and it is the best thing I ever did,” Sub-O cer Fitzgerald, who has been at Balbriggan station for more than nine years, adds. “ is roster system suits me well, and this job, at these stations, really does have to suit your life if you are to enjoy it. If it works for you, it works really well for you.”

COMMITMENT

“ ere is plenty to keep us going,” Balbriggan S/O Stephen Fowley, who has been here 27 years a er transferring from Malahide Retained Station, tells me. “Although we are retained and not here all the time, our crews nd it very hard to do anything else outside of this job because it is fairly intense, and it is not only on you, it is on your family and everything else that is going on in your life. We have to arrange our lives around this because it is the main priority –weddings, parties, family stu – all has to be put on the back burner because we need to have a crew here at all times.

“It is a huge commitment for all of them, but fair play to them they are a great bunch, ranging from nearretirement to the four who recently joined, so there is a range of age and experience who work very well together. ey have to really, because if you are sent in with your BA on with another crew member, you have to like him, because you are depending on each other, he has your back, and you have his.

“ e crew has to be ready to go for the full week, 24 hours per day. If they have

to go o for any reason they can usually swap with members of the crew that are o , but if they can’t do that, they have to be here and ready.”

DUTIES

“Our general duties are the same as elsewhere,” Sub-O cer Fitzgerald adds. “When we come in on a Tuesday we do all the checks on the equipment, the appliance, BA sets, medical equipment, RTC equipment, then we do drills. Once we are at the callout, it’s the same job. We are only rst responders, not paramedics, so that can be a challenge in that we can only do so much, but people are still going to be happy that we are there, and there is always something to keep you busy.”

CHALLENGES

e reason the stations are kept so busy is that they cover a huge area of North Dublin.

“We cover a lot of ground,” Sub-O cer

ALTHOUGH WE ARE RETAINED AND NOT HERE ALL THE TIME, OUR CREWS FIND IT VERY HARD TO DO ANYTHING ELSE OUTSIDE OF THIS JOB BECAUSE IT IS FAIRLY INTENSE”

Fitzgerald tells me as he shows me a map of the greater area, “from the coast down to Skerries and up into Meath and Louth, as far out as Garristown, Julianstown, Laytown. At times, you are looking at a 20-minute drive, and while we do have Swords station backing us up, it really is a huge area for two retained stations to cover.

“We have the sea that presents its own challenges, a lot of countryside, a lot of RTCs on country roads and on the M1. We also have a population of around 37,000 that is growing quickly and there

are a lot of new builds. We have the main rail line going through here, and when the DART starts going to Drogheda that is going to increase passenger numbers signi cantly. ere is also major redevelopment in the town, so that is going to bring more people to the area. Because there’s a lot of countryside, it takes time to get there. On top of that, we need to be paged and all get to the station before we can head out, so it is a challenge.”

“As well as the harbour, the main rail line and the motorway, we also turn out to Dublin Airport,” S/O Fowley adds. “Last year we had 603 callouts without redirections, and between us and Skerries we had more than 1,100 calls altogether, so we are de nitely kept busy.

“We deal with the same type of callouts as the rest of DFB. A house or car re in Balbriggan is the same as a house or car re in Tallaght or Finglas, a cardiac arrest is a cardiac arrest, it is all the same, just that we aren’t at the station, and are subject to the ‘dreaded pager’ as some call it. Our turnout times are six minutes during the day and ve at night, so it is tight, but the crews know the commitment involved. ey know what is expected of them and know what they are doing.”

e expansion and increasing population of Balbriggan also presents di culties that have to be overcome.

“When I rst came here it was a small country town with nothing in it,” S/O

IT IS A FULL-TIME JOB HERE WITH FULL-TIME RESPONSIBILITY, BUT OUR CREWS KNOW THAT AND ARE FULLY PREPARED FOR IT”

Fowley says, “but now it has exploded in population with a massive amount of building in the last ten years and they are still building. is is the fastest growing young people’s town in the country.”

VARIETY

With the huge area comes a variety of incidents and callouts, and for Sub-O cer Fitzgerald, this is one of the appeals of working at Balbriggan station.

“Every call is di erent, so there is great variety, and there is always something you can learn from each turnout,” he says. “I became a Sub-O cer two years ago and I am still learning, listening to other o cers at the scene, so every day is a school day!”

While the crews respond to a lot of medical calls ranging from cardiac arrests to falls and li s, as well as re alarms and house and car res, a recent re at a recycling plant in the area saw the crew face one of the biggest res of their careers, and for Sub-O cer Fitzgerald that too was a chance to learn.

“We got paged very early in the morning and I could see the smoke from the re on my way in, and knew

immediately that it was something massive,” he says. “We were the rst appliance there, and the place was ablaze. It was full of baled compacted shredded plastic that they use to keep the kiln going at the cement factories, and there was just no end to the ames.

“We laid the hoses down and started pouring water on the re until other trucks engines arrived, then more senior o cers arrived and took over Command, Swords and Skerries arrived, then a D/O, then engines from North Strand. We were there for four hours before we were relieved at 10.30am, but it was still intense by that time and ended up being an allday incident. But what was great for me was being able to listen to and learn from the other o cers there.”

COMMUNITY

Another big appeal of working at the retained stations that the crews gain a great deal of satisfaction from working in and for their local community.

“ e community aspect is a big thing, you are serving your own local people,” S/O Fowley says. “ e other side of that is that sometimes it can be a challenge, because you could be called out to one of your own. I’ve gone from re ghter for many years to Sub-O cer from 2017 to 2019 and S/O from 2019 to now, and I never thought I would be here for 35 years. I still love it. e best thing about it is the unpredictability of it all, and serving your own community. I am here that long that I know a lot of people, and everybody knows who you are. Most of the crew are from around here, so you can be going to their family, you just don’t know, but you still have to act and do your job professionally. e crew are like Superman when they turn out: coats o , capes on!” e crew from Skerries arrive at the station, and I am joined by Sub-O cers Willie Boylan and Paul Hamilton.

FLEXIBILITY

“We have a fairly young crew now, ranging from people in their 20s up to 40s and one or two in their early 50s,” Sub-O cer Hamilton tells me. “Most are skilled –

electricians, plumbers, painters – and they all get on very well and work well together.

ey are all exible in that they are willing to swap with people who can’t be here, and vice versa, and that is the only way it can work, because a week is a very long time to be on call. e camaraderie has to be there. Everybody knows what they need to do, we rely on each other.”

Averaging around 35 to 40 calls per month, the Skerries crew are also kept busy, which Sub-O cer Hamilton says suits everybody because “if you are giving up your time you want to be active doing the job”.

“We are so far out from the full-time stations, so we also have to cover a fair amount of ground,” Sub-O cer Boylan tells me. “Like Balbriggan, we have main roads, the rail line, the coast, farmland, industry, Bord Na Mona, so there is a lot of variety in what we do every day.”

Sub-O cer Hamilton adds: “We are a great resource for the local community, that we can go out and do medical responses instead of tying down an ambulance to do it that might take them 40 minutes to get here anyway.

“It is very important that we know we have the backing of the entire set of resources from all over Dublin Fire Brigade, because it can happen that both our stations are out on calls when other calls come in. When we are rst at a scene, decisions have to be made, but we know that we are going to get back up from another station such as Swords or Finglas.”

Both men came into DFB a er seeing re ghters in action.

“I was doing some taxi driving around 2000 and there were a few lads in Skerries station I was working with,” Sub-O cer Hamilton tells me. “One day I saw them turn out and I said to myself ‘I would love to do that’. It was a serious eye opener for me to see how much was involved and I loved it. I spent 30 years in the Defence Forces, juggling the Army with working as a Retained Fire ghter, but in later years I had to make a decision and I chose the re brigade. I still enjoy it. Getting a good result and getting your crew back safely is what it is all about.”

Sub-O cer Boylan was working as an electrician when, 30 years ago, there was a big re in a garage by Skerries harbour.

“I remember three or four engines came out and I was just amazed watching them work,” he says. “I thought I would love to do that, so I applied. at was 27 years ago and I still get the same buzz as the rst day I went into work.”

ON CALL

Both Sub-O cers agree that the hardest challenge for their crew is getting used to being on call, but that all personnel at the station are committed to it.

“For anybody joining us, the shock of being on call is the hardest part,” SubO cer Hamilton tells me. “It’s a big culture shock. For some, being tied down to a roster and being on call is tough, especially if you have a young family. As much as you might have wanted to be a re ghter all your life, if you don’t have the support of your family, if you can’t drop everything to come in, it is not for you.”

Sub-O cer Boylan adds: “It isn’t long before you get a wake-up call if you are not prepared for what is involved and what is expected of you. Juggling working a di erent job with this one, and having a family, is not easy. It is a full-time job here with full-time responsibility, but our crews know that and are fully prepared for it.”

“ ere has to be exibility,” SubO cer Hamilton says. “It has to work for everyone, and it does work because our people make it work.”

THE CREWS ON DUTY:

BALBRIGGAN:

S/O Stephen Fowley

Sub-O cer Glenn Fitzgerald

Obi Daskalov

Leon Carvin

Wayne Cawley

Gerry Gaughan

Sean O’Hara

Gavin Coughlan

Alan Carey

(Sub-O cer Elaine Lawless on leave)

SKERRIES:

Sub-O cer Willie Boylan

Sub-O cer Paul Hamilton

Karl Young

Mick Woods

Peter Nolan

Barry Davey

Aiden O’Brien

Trevor Roy

Willie Langan

Steven Dory

(S/O Emmett Dillon on leave)

DELIVERING A MODERN FIRE SERVICE

The Annual Chief Fire Officers Association Conference Took Place in May

Chief Fire O cers from across Ireland as well as visiting international guests, delegates and trade exhibitors gathered for the annual Chief Fire O cers Association (CFOA) Conference on 7 and 8 May. is year, the event was hosted by Galway Fire and Rescue Service and Galway City Council at the Salthill Hotel, and once again a large group of more than 400 delegates attended what is one of the most prestigious events of its kind in Ireland.

Gerry O’Malley, Conference Secretary and Chief Fire O cer for Galway Fire and Rescue Service, said the 2025 conference aimed to address key challenges confronting the Fire Services while highlighting the latest advancements in re service operations and prevention technologies.

“ e CFOA represents the leadership and senior management of all Irish re services, with a mission to enhance safety and protect lives and property across the country,” he stated. “ e conference and exhibition provide a platform for those in the re and rescue sector to discuss pressing issues, explore cutting-edge re service equipment and appliances, and discover the latest technologies in re operations and prevention.”

He added: “ e event showcases expert speakers from Ireland and abroad in the emergency services and re industry, sharing their expertise and insights to o er innovative solutions for

adapting the Fire and Rescue Service to current challenges.”

COOPERATION

e theme of the 2025 conference was ‘Delivering a Modern Fire Service – the Future is Here and Now’, with leading speakers from within and outside the re services sharing their expert views on a wide range of topics, including an expert witness from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, and the Director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management.

Ahead of the Conference, a Government plan to establish four new Urban Search and Rescue

(USAR) regional hubs in Galway, Cork City, Dublin, and Laois received unanimous support from Ireland’s Chief Fire Officers.

e need for a rapid deployment capability for incidents such as building collapses was underscored during the Creeslough tragedy in County Donegal, when assistance was requested from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service.

e CFOA also endorsed the rollout of high-volume pumping (HVP) capabilities nationwide, with this technology allowing re services to move large quantities of water from ooded areas, helping to

safeguard lives and property.

Dublin Fire Brigade CFO and CFOA Chairperson Dennis Keeley said the introduction of USAR hubs and HVP technology will foster unprecedented cross-border collaboration for specialist emergency response.

“Cross-border cooperation between the re services of Ireland and Northern Ireland is a critical component of the broader emergency response, particularly in specialised areas such as USAR and HVP,” he said. “ is collaboration ensures a coordinated and e ective approach to emergencies that may impact both jurisdictions. e CFOA continues to support the introduction and roll out of these valued disciplines along with the appropriate frameworks for crossborder cooperation. ese initiatives provide the framework to support joint planning, resource sharing, and coordinated responses to emergencies a ecting both Ireland and Northern Ireland.”

WELCOME

At the Conference itself, delegates were welcomed by Cllr Peter Keane, Mayor of Galway City, who said: “ e re service holds a place of immense esteem in our hearts and communities.

Your unwavering dedication, bravery, and commitment to protecting lives and property are truly commendable.”

Cllr. Martina Kinane, Cathaoirleach of Galway County Council, also welcomed the crowd, followed by addresses from Michael Owens, Deputy Chief Executive of Galway County Council, and Leonard Cleary, Chief Executive of Galway City Council.

Mr Cleary acknowledged the importance of the Irish Chief Fire O cers Association, for “…playing a crucial role in advising our government and other national bodies in areas such as re service operations and re safety, building control, and major emergency, amongst others”, with the ICFOA’s expertise and insights proving, “invaluable in shaping policies that ensure the safety and well-being of our communities”.

PRESENTATIONS

James Browne TD, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage gave an opening address via video link before CFO Keeley took to the podium. He was followed by Ritika Wadhwa, Founder and CEO of Prabhaav Global, who began the presentations by discussing how exploring cultural intelligence is a key skill for managing rapid change.

A er Tech Talks, lunch and a chance to browse the exhibitions on display, author, keynote speaker and Director at Core Skill Training, Ray Goggins, gave a talk on operational e ectiveness, before Mark Hardingham, former Chair of the UK National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), spoke about the Final Report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, following the death of 72 people in the worst UK residential re since World War II.

A Panel Discussion rounded o day one, a er which delegates could attend a Black Tie Gala Dinner at the Glenlo Abbey.

DAY TWO

e second day started with a presentation by Liam Carroll, SEO for Climate Change and former Acting Chief Fire O cer of Carlow Fire and Rescue Service, addressing the Irish Fire Service’s role in climate resilience. He was followed by Keith Leonard, Director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, who gave a national overview of re services.

Next up was a presentation on the risks and challenges associated with LithiumIon batteries, used primarily in electronic devices, electric vehicles and small appliances, by Conor Leonard, Head of Batteries and Projects, WEEE Ireland. He was followed by Phil Garrigan, Chair of the UK National Fire Chiefs’ Council (NFCC), who gave a UK perspective on re service improvements.

A er lunch, there was a return to the subject of Grenfell, with Dr Barbara Lane, ARUP re safety specialist and expert witness to the Inquiry, giving further insights on the ndings and subsequent re safety reforms.

A er more Tech Talks and exhibits, the nal presentation was made by Peter Lonergan of the European Emergency Number Association, who, harking back to the CFOA’s endorsement of USAR hubs and HVP capabilities, highlighted how enhanced communications can strengthen emergency response e orts, before a panel discussion brought proceedings to a close.

GREAT WEATHER, GREAT TIMES

The Summer Social Nights Were a Big Success, writes DFBSSC Secretary Ger Ryan

With the sun blazing down for much of May, some of the Watches were spoilt with the weather for our Summer Social Nights in e Church Bar. Our members were able to enjoy both the outdoor terrace for the sun and the indoor area for a bit of shade. As always, we had a great turn out for all four nights, and it was especially great to see big numbers return for the C Watch social night. Let’s hope the numbers keep growing. It was also great to be joined on the nal night, A Watch, by our colleagues from Fire Prevention. As always, any of our 9-5 members are welcome to come along on any of the four nights: just inform one of the executive committee beforehand. A big thanks to all the committee reps who worked across all four of the nights. For those who prefer a strong cup of co ee, we also held our DFB DASH in the Park co ee morning in the Phoenix Park, with more great weather making it a lovely occasion to meet up. anks to all at DASH for the great hospitality. We will be back in the autumn for the next Social Nights, so keep an eye out on our social media pages for updates on when and where.

RETIRED MEMBER PROFILE

S/O Robbie Young

“I remember my rst day like it was yesterday,” recently retired S/O Robbie Young tells me. “I had just arrived at Finglas station to start with A Watch and got out of my car when a bell went o . I didn’t know what bell it was, but someone pointed over and said to me ‘ at’s you – ambulance!’ I literally hadn’t even set foot in the station and I was sent out and didn’t get back until

lunchtime. I hadn’t even met anybody yet! So, it was a bit of a baptism of re.”

A busy start to Dublin Fire Brigade life was a taste of things to come as S/O Young established himself as an ambitious member always willing to learn and upskill, but he hadn’t thought of a career with DFB until his future brother-in-law recommended it.

INTEREST

“Around 1985, I was going out with my girlfriend (now wife) Lorraine when her brother Joe got into the Brigade,” he says. “Lorraine’s great grandfather had been a re ghter in the early 1900s, which is where Joe had the interest, and he told me he was enjoying it. He advised me to join the Auxiliary Fire Service in the Civil Defence,

which I did in 1987, and I learned to drive trucks, operate pumps, remanship, drills, so it really caught my interest.”

A few years later in 1992, S/O Young applied for a position with Dun Laoghaire re service and was about to be taken on when the amalgamation between DFB and Dun Laoghaire was announced.

“ at meant there was a bit of a delay in recruiting, and I nally got accepted in 1995,” he says. at led to his intense rst day in Finglas, and he hasn’t looked back since.

LEARNING THE ROPES

“I was delighted to get placed there under S/O John Sweetman and D/O Seamie Carroll because it was a busy station, in a good way,” he says. “ e towers were still there in Ballymun, so I learned a lot about li s, abseiling down cables, and there was a huge amount of RTCs around north county Dublin, we were covering everything from housing estates to farmland, so you really learned your trade, it was a great place to start.”

A er a year, S/O Young moved to HQ under S/O Roger Finnerty and D/O Michael Gray, rotating between operational duties and the Control Room, and found himself equally at home.

STORIES

“ e old Tara Street was a fantastic place to work because it was steeped in history,” he says. “It wasn’t the most comfortable place, but it was like working in a museum – the busiest museum in the world!

“ e stories we heard from the more

senior members were fantastic. We all used to just sit around and talk and they would tell you about the incidents they had gone to. I was in awe of these senior men with their stories of climbing up drainpipes and pulling people out of res, and it was hard to get your head around how they got the job done, by hook or by crook.”

SPECIALTIES

Although he was only in DFB three years, S/O Young was asked to become a driver because of his Civil Defence experience with trucks.

“ ey said it would only be temporary, for a week or so, but I ended up doing it for a lot longer than that,” he says. He also completed a turntable ladder course in 2001 and became part of the rst Marine Emergency Response Team the same year, which was something he says he enjoyed, even though the equipment was a lot more basic than it is now.

“ e Li ey was quite busy back then, and when we started out all we had was a bowline tied around us and we had to swim out to bring people back to shore,” he says. “In 2002 we managed to get upgraded equipment, and I did the rst Swi water Rescue course that year, then a year later I was among the rst DFB members to do a Coxswain course with a

private rm, because at the time we didn’t have a boat. DFB has three boats now, but it all had to start somewhere, so we got a rib rst and from there it has grown to what it is now. I was glad to be a part of it.”

Even though he wasn’t yet an o cer, in 2003 S/O Young was asked to become a driving instructor with DFB because of his experience with large vehicles and the turntable ladder. Niall O’Connell, RIP, and Bobby Hedderman were running the Driving School at the time and taught him the ropes, and he remained an instructor until his retirement.

Promoted to Sub-O cer in 2004, S/O Young moved to D Watch HQ and oated between all the stations north and south of the Li ey. “ at was great because I got to meet a lot of di erent people and work in di erent locations,” he says.

He also continued improving the courses and standards set out for the Driving School alongside instructors Jim O’Brien, Pat Mulcahy, RIP, and D/O Martin Cooke, updating the Emergency Fire Appliance Driving (EFAD) in 2003, then changing to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) standard in 2007.

DRIVING

In 2011, S/O Young was promoted to Station O cer and moved to A Watch Tallaght, where he spent a year before transferring to B Watch Kilbarrack, but again he continued his involvement with the Driving School.

“ e Emergency Services Driving Standard (ESDS) in association with the RSA came about in 2015, and I was involved with that alongside Pat Mulcahy,” he says, telling me that he brought that new standard in throughout Ireland, teaching di erent brigades in how to train their personnel, and becoming an assessor.

FULL CIRCLE

Coming full circle, a er six years in Kilbarrack S/O Young got the chance to transfer back to Finglas on B Watch, “where it all started”. “I knew that would be my last posting,” he tells me, “so it was nice to start and end at the same spot. I was happy to spend my last four years there. One o cer said to me when I started that you won’t believe how quickly the rst ten years ies, but nobody says anything about the second 20 – they go even quicker.

I WILL MISS THE FUN WITH THE CREW. BUT YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THERE IS FUN AND CRAIC TO BE HAD OUTSIDE THE JOB AS WELL!”

“ at tells you everything about the job, it goes by so quickly because you are enjoying it. I have had a great career because as well as re ghting and the ambulance I have been involved in Coxswain, SRT, driving, and I would recommend anyone to go into this job. You miss out on things at home because you can’t get time o , but it makes up for it in the end, and I have a great family to back me up.

“My two sons didn’t want to do anything else but be re ghters because they saw how much I loved it,” he continues, “so we have a bit of a family legacy going now.”

Karl Young is a retained re ghter at Skerries re station, while Conor is on A Watch at HQ, and daughter Rachel works as cabin crew with Aer Lingus, which S/O Young is delighted with because it means they can travel a lot.

CHANGES

Having been with DFB for 30 years, S/O Young says he has seen a lot of changes in his time.

“I was in the rst class to be trained up to Emergency Medical Technician standard, which was a big jump up in skillsets at the time. Now everybody is at paramedic standard or advanced paramedic, so there has been a big change in patient treatment and outcomes,” he says. “From my own experience, the biggest change came in river rescue. Now river rescues are so much safer, it is so di erent from when I started.”

He recalls many of the river rescues he was involved in. “ at type of incident was regular across all watches,” he says. “Either us or the gardaí had to just jump in to rescue people, only the gardaí got the Scott Medal, and we just got wet clothes!”

ere was also a miraculous incident when a grappling hook was used to literally “ sh” someone out of the water. “One of us caught the end of the submerged person’s trousers,” he tells me, “so we pulled him in and li ed him out upside down. at chap survived. We couldn’t believe it. at was something you’ll not forget. It was a million to one chance.”

SPORTS

Even with his many roles within DFB, S/O Young also made sure to nd time to enjoy the sporting aspect of the job, and currently holds the position of Public Relations O cer with Sportslink, having joined the board of directors in 2015.

He joined the DFB football team upon entering the re service, playing in goal and then taking on the role of Player/Manager then Manager with the assistance of Paul McGurrell, becoming ubiquitous within the DFB football set-up.

“We had a lot of success,” he tells me. “We won numerous trophies because we had a cracking team with a huge pool of players.”

S/O Young was and still is a very active member of the DFB Cycling Club, and is looking forward to an upcoming trip to Italy, which he says will be “very tough but very enjoyable”.

“ e football and cycling were quite time-intensive, so I had my hands full with them, but I was also a member of the Boat Club,” he remembers.

LOOKING BACK

Having just retired, S/O Young says it is too early to know if he will miss the job, but he is certain of a few things that will stay with him.

“I will miss the camaraderie, the humour and the fun. You need black humour in the job. We laugh over very serious stu but we are not laughing at it, we are laughing as a group as a coping mechanism. It is a big part of the craic that I will miss.

“ ere is other stu I won’t miss. I was noticing a lot of cardiac arrests in relatively younger people, and I think that has had a huge in uence on me retiring. It is a

reminder of your mortality. One person I had to deal with was a 57-year-old man who had gotten the all clear from cancer that morning, and came home and had a heart attack. at shocked me, to see how cruel life can be. I won’t miss that side of things.”

SEND-OFF

S/O Young says his last day and send-o was emotional for many reasons.

“My mother wasn’t able to go due to illness, but my D/O Con Flanagan mentioned her, which was very emotional for my family. My father was there and he told me he remembered my passout like it was yesterday, and I felt the same. ese are things imprinted on your brain.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, it still feels like I am on leave, even though I have had the send-o and the parties and the photos.

e ambulances and motors are still beeping at me when I am out walking the dog. Eventually that will go, because in ve years all the drivers will be younger people who won’t know me.”

FUTURE

For S/O Young though, it was clear it was the right time to retire. Apart from seeing those “reminders of mortality” on the job, he was also in uenced by his own plans for the future, with travel, football, cycling and going to the gym regularly on the horizon, as well as his position with Sportslink. “I just want to keep moving, keep enjoying life,” he says.

“I have had a great and busy career, have been there and done that, and I think I knew when I had enough,” he says. “People I knew well have passed away without getting many years in their retirement, so it is a great privilege for me to nish now when I can. I am 58 this year and can have a good few years travelling ahead of me. If circumstances allow, I would recommend it.

“ e light hadn’t gone out in me or anything like that. If you start complaining about the job, you need to get out, and I never did that, but towards the end I started needing to go to bed a er my shi . I started needing to rest, the body was telling me it was tired, so I knew it was the right time to leave.

“I will miss the fun with the crew. But you have to remember there is fun and craic to be had outside the job as well!”

WALKING THE WALK

A New Hiking and Walking Club Allows DFB Members to Enjoy The Scenery At Their Own Pace, writes Founder Sonja Hughes from A Watch ERCC

For DFB members who enjoy getting out into nature and enjoying our beautiful surroundings while keeping t, a new Walking and Hiking Group has been formed, and is already gathering a good following.

As a nature photographer and keen hiker, I found that my hobbies complemented each other perfectly, providing the opportunity to explore and capture picturesque images on our doorstep. So, I decided to set up a walking and hiking group within Dublin

Fire Brigade to connect with other likeminded individuals who also enjoy the outdoors, to share the amazing walking routes and mountain trails around us.

ere has been a positive uptake in the group from personnel all across Dublin Fire Brigade, and already the group has enjoyed some great hikes and walks in the beautiful weather May brought.

OUTINGS

Our rst outing took us to Tibradden Cairn, a nice 7.5km walk across the Dublin Mountains with a stop o at e

Hazel House for refreshments, with thanks to DFBSSC. Not only was it a chance to get out and do a hike in lovely scenery, it was also a great opportunity for sta from all across DFB to meet up.

A er that came a lovely mid-week 4.5km evening walk by the sea to Poolbeg Lighthouse, so there is a good mix of hikes and leisurely strolls organised for members of all tness levels. e group is open to everyone, with a mix of walks and hikes of varying distances and terrains.

A walk in scenic Howth was due to take place in early June but has been postponed to a later date, TBC, with another in mid-June taking in the Phoenix Park for a 10km walk, with an early start from the Papal Cross and ending with refreshments at Dash Co ee.

Our members also joined the Dublin Mountain Partnership for a summer solstice sunrise 16.5km hike. Starting at midnight at Tibradden, we made our way towards Ticknock, taking in ree Rock Mountain

and Ballyedmondu Cairn before returning via Two Rock and reaching Fairycastle for a sunrise over Dublin Bay. Low clouds got in the way of a glorious sunrise, but it couldn’t take away from a very enjoyable night hike.

PLANS

By the time you read this we will have also done a hike in beautiful Glendalough, and have plans to revisit the Howth walk, as well as a St Anne’s Park walk and St

Catherine’s Park walk, plus a hike to the Sugar Loaf. As these expeditions are sometimes planned out while we walk, there are no dates con rmed as yet, so keep an eye out for further details.

We look forward to meeting new members at future outings, so if you want to join our group, get in touch by emailing d walkhike@gmail.com. We would particularly like to hear from anybody on C and D Watch who would be interested in taking the lead and joining us with their colleagues.

A FIRE TO REMEMBER

The 1875 Club Have Been Celebrating the 150th Year of the Great Whiskey Fire With Style, writes Declan Rice

is year, the focus of the Club was to commemorate the re which gave us our name. On 18 June, 1875, a re broke out in Malone’s Bonded Warehouse, and exploding barrels created a six-inch-deep river of aming whiskey through the Liberties. In January, our Club committee got together to see how they might mark the occasion, and a plan was drawn up. e event was launched on St Patrick’s Day at the annual welcome toast to our visiting re ghters in Phibsboro Fire Station. e reigns of the Club President were handed from Ger Devine to our retired DFB Historian, Mr Las Fallon. We couldn’t have wished for a better President to guide us through this commemorative year. e morning was a huge success, with the club receiving a beautiful hand-drawn piece from visiting Captain Mr Jason omas of Southampton Fire Department, USA. e morning nished o with Ger reciting a poem he had written especially for the occasion (available for purchase from his Insta Account). anks to Rob Caldwell of Teeling Distillery for supporting this event with their Small Batch whiskey. e whiskey is made from hand-selected casks of grain and malt whiskey that are initially fully aged in ex-Bourbon barrels, then married together in Central American Rum casks for up to 12 months for a unique, dried fruit pro le. It was the perfect breakfast for the Americans, and being a whiskey from e Liberties it was the perfect choice for the start of the commemoration.

PRESIDENT’S TASTING

#ROADTRIP

In April, we gathered the troops for our rst long overdue overnight trip. Bearing the new club polos, we headed west to Galway City for a bit of culture, a bog walk, a sea swim (Blackrock back ips) and a visit to Micil Distillery, a family-owned, independent whiskey distillery based in the city whose roots trace back to their great-great-grandfather who distilled poitín locally. It has gained a reputation for producing authentic, high-quality peated whiskey. Padraig took us through the journey over a few drams and everyone found something they liked, including their poitín-based cream liqueur (delicious). It was a wonderful and memorable event for all the right reasons. Poor Feeney’s Bar on Shop Street were sorry our eagle eyes spotted an old bottle of Powers 12 buried on the shelves. It’s price having not been updated in years ensured the liquid was released and the bottle killed, giving the members another surprise bargain. We ended the day with a beautiful evening dinner back in our hotel, e Hardiman on Eyre Square (highly recommended), and sharing stories with some retired DFB sta who heard about our presence.

On 7 May, we headed to Croke Park for Ger Devine’s s outgoing “presidential” tasting, and what a venue he had arranged for it. Our lucky members made our way to the President’s Suite on the corporate level in Croke Park Stadium. Ger had arranged a private tasting with whiskey ambassador James Kilgannon. James, for the occasion, selected Writers Tears as the brand of the night, very tting indeed for our poet in residence. Las presented Ger with their annual cask strength release as a thank you for his great service to the club during his tender as Club President. During this time, Ger also helped us raise €2,500 for the Oscar’s Kids charity by selling his poem ‘Fire ghters Call’. We nished May with our annual Club Day Out to WhiskeyLive in the RDS, where we get to meet the distillers, the brands, and of course sample their wares.

BUSY TIMES

In June, the month of the 150th anniversary, we were back to e Liberties for a very busy period. It started in Teeling distillery for a book launch as Las had re-written his book on the Great Whiskey Fire of Dublin. A wonderful moment for Las and his family as his son Donal helped launch it. A great night was had by all, where retired and active members mingled. anks to the CFO and ACFO for coming along and to Teeling and the dublin8isgreat festival for their support. On the actual anniversary on 18 June, Las took a group of club members and “in uencers” around e Liberties to help spread the word of the big re and imbed it in the memories of Dubliners, hopefully for generations to come. It was a great evening and the weather kindly played its part too. e event was supported by the Hyatt hotel who arranged welcome cocktails and a space for a er-walk drams to chat and mingle. e Club members were back the following Tuesday night for a very special tasting “telling the story of the re by whiskey”. Six(ish) brands kindly supported the event (see below) as we again rested in the luxury of the Hyatt facilities, this time in their rear courtyard. As a Club, we’d de nitely recommend this site for anyone retiring from nearby Dolphin’s Barn station. It’s a beautiful, secluded spot, made for parties. A big thank you to Jane and her team for their warm welcome and their professionalism; nothing was a problem. anks to Enda McKenna for working with Rosi to produce our new Tuath tasting glass.

THE BRANDS WE SAMPLED WERE:

1. Ha’Penny Bridge Bar, inaugural release. bottle #150 of 150 (for the year that was in it)

2. Malone’s Whiskey (to remember the Malone’s bonded warehouse, site of the re)

3. Flaming Pig – Black Cask (to remember the squealing pigs who raised the alarm)

4. Teeling Frontliners Heroes Release (to remember the DFB re ghters)

5. Keepers Heart Irish and Bourbon (to remember Captain Ingram, the Irish-American CFO)

6. Boann Pot Still (for the 1875 Club from Cork Whiskey Fest, bottle #150 of 150 released)

And then there was a surprise from Midleton Distillery, celebrating their 200th anniversary: A dram of Redbreast 15yr Cask Strength, released to commemorate its 20th anniversary. Why ? … because we could.

LOOKING AHEAD

We’ve still got lots more planned for this year, including:

• Producing a plaque to commemorate the CFO of the time of the re, Captain Ingram (although this is proving di cult)

• Our annual Mansion House tasting in October, to give back some thanks to the distillers

• Planting 150 trees (whiskey isn’t whiskey without wooden casks) - thanks to Nemo for assisting.

• A Fire Safety Talk on bonded warehouses, to see why the re shouldn’t happen again

• And nally, our inaugural club bottling for our members. Just “112” bottles, as we couldn’t a ord “999”. anks in particular to Brian Tracey for his work on this exciting project.

If you fancy joining the Club, you are very welcome to come along to our tastings. They are usually held on a Tuesday evening in a city centre location. With walks, talks, artists, poetry, and book launches, we’re a very cultured group with only two simple club rules: There’s no rank here, and please don’t rob the glasses! Until next time, and as always, please drink responsibly.

FF/P Darren Donovan Looks at the Legacy of Private Insurance Firefighting Brigades in Dublin

FROM THE ARCHIVES

In the 18th and early 19th centuries, there was no publicly funded re service in Dublin. Instead, insurance companies operated their own re brigades to protect properties they insured, which would display a metal plaque called a remark, o en bearing the re ghting company’s symbol.

ese private brigades were not obliged to assist buildings not insured by their company, so they would decide whether to put out the re or leave it to burn, based on whether their remark was on the wall. ey each maintained a small team of re ghters, equipment and water carts kept near the insured areas.

UNIFIED SERVICE

By the early 19th century, the ine ciency of having multiple private brigades became clear, because res would inevitably spread beyond insured buildings, and delays would occur due to disputes between brigades or lack of coverage, so public outcry grew over inconsistent protection.

In 1862, following pressure and the increased complexity of urban res, Dublin Corporation founded Dublin Fire Brigade, which absorbed the remnants of the insurance brigades and uni ed re response under public management, under its rst Chief O cer, Captain James Ingram, a former British Army

o cer. e Brigade became one of the few re services in the world that also took on ambulance duties, a tradition that of course, continues to this day.

e defunct insurance brigades did still play a crucial role in the development of professional re ghting, and highlighted the importance of re prevention, property protection and risk assessment, and a timeline of these developments helps shed light on their contribution. 1705-1711: Early Municipal Fire Engines

In 1711, John Oates, the city’s water engineer, was paid £6 a year and engaged six men to maintain a water engine for re ghting—marking Dublin’s earliest organised re ghting e ort. An illustration of a Sun Assurance firefighter from 1710

Mid-1700s – Late 1800s: Private Insurance Brigades Dominate

From the mid18th century, major insurance companies such as Royal Exchange Assurance, Sun Fire O ce, Phoenix, Hibernian Insurance, and the General Insurance Company of Ireland (more on these later) formed their own brigades to protect insured properties bearing their remark. ey began to cooperate for large res, but competition remained, with free enterprise approaches o en determining who got paid for arriving rst.

1862: Dublin Fire Brigade Established With the Dublin Corporation Act of 1862, a formal, public re service was established, e ectively ending private insurance brigades’ dominance.

Ambulance duties were added in 1898, making Dublin one of the earliest re services globally to integrate EMS. By December 1909, the rst motorized re pump, designed by Chief O cer Captain omas Purcell and built by Leyland Motors, also entered service in Dublin –a major leap forward from horse-drawn technology.

1940: National Legislation

e Fire Brigades Act 1940 required all local authorities across Ireland to establish proper re services, serving as the foundation for modern, nationwide provision.

MAJOR PLAYERS

ree key private insurance companies whose re ghting brigades played a

THE DEFUNCT INSURANCE BRIGADES DID STILL PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTING”

pivotal part in Dublin’s early re protection were Royal Exchange Assurance, Sun Fire O ce, and Phoenix Assurance.

Royal Exchange Assurance Company (Dublin branch, from 1722) Founded in London in 1720, they expanded to Dublin in 1722 with an agent on Abbey Street, followed by coverage from Commercial Buildings on Dame Street, and an engine house in Crown Alley behind it.

e brigade employed fully uniformed remen—light green uniforms with gold badges —and marched ceremonially through the city on annual “Day of Marching” events, distributing lea ets and riding re engines drawn by horses and manned by crews of twelve.

A remark emblematic of the Royal Exchange building was placed on each insured property, o en stamped with the policy number—for instance, a lead re mark dating to around 1778 is documented in the Smithsonian collection.

THE SYSTEM OF INSURANCE COMPANY FIRE BRIGADES PLAYED A CRUCIAL BUT COMPLEX ROLE AS A QUASI-PUBLIC SERVICE IN DUBLIN’S EARLY FIREFIGHTING HISTORY”

e Sun Fire O ce (later Sun Insurance)

Originated in 1710 (from Charles Povey’s Exchange House Fire O ce of 1708); the Sun Fire O ce became one of the most successful re insurers in Britain and Ireland. In Dublin, it operated a re insurance department by 1800–1804 from Anglesea Street and in 1804 it merged with the British Fire O ce, strengthening its Irish presence.

Known for its Sun emblem remark and expansion across counties through agents, by the late 1700s and early 1800s, the Sun Fire O ce dominated re insurance in Ireland.

Phoenix Assurance Company (Phoenix Fire O ce, founded 1782)

Founded in 1782 in London by sugar merchants and re ners seeking better premiums and coverage, they were known colloquially as the “Second Fire O ce” a er Barbon’s original Fire O ce. e company issued distinctive Phoenix-rising remarks, and maintained its own re ghting brigades in major cities, including Dublin. It diversi ed into life and marine insurance over the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1901 it became Phoenix Assurance Company Ltd, and was eventually acquired by Sun Alliance in 1984.

IMPORTANCE

Royal Exchange Assurance introduced the concept of agent-based, uniformed private re crews in Ireland, Sun Fire O ce helped standardise the use of remarks and larger-scale operation across Ireland, while Phoenix Assurance represented a more diverse insurance model, combining re with life and marine services—and later merged into larger modern insurance groups.

As these companies grew, their insurance brigades sometimes cooperated - notably between Royal Exchange, Sun Fire O ce, and Phoenix - to respond to res collaboratively, but they also competed to be rst at the scene. eir practices and public dissatisfaction with fragmented services importantly propelled Dublin Corporation in 1862 to establish a uni ed public Dublin Fire Brigade, leading to the gradual phasing out of private brigades.

LEGACY

e system of insurance company re brigades played a crucial but complex role as a quasi-public service in Dublin’s early re ghting history. eir existence highlighted the demand for organised, impartial re protection, which ultimately led to the establishment of a publicly funded and uni ed service.

Today, examples of Georgian remarks can still be found in city architecture, marking a fascinating link between private insurance and modern public safety in Dublin. Some representative remark plaques, rare survivors, are still visible on Dublin’s older buildings, and I include some of them in this feature.

TIMES TO REMEMBER

This year has been a very busy one for me so far on the re service history front: A book launch, a series of talks, a podcast and other events have been quite an experience and quite a lot of fun.

REPUBLISHED

As the year marks the 150th anniversary of the Great Liberties Whiskey Fire, I was in touch with a publisher who wanted to update and republish my 2019 book on the subject in a di erent format. I have to say I`m delighted with the result, with the book launched in June in Teelings Distillery, near to the site of the original re.

In total, I have written four books now and contributed chapters to a few others, including writing the o cial history of DFB in the 1916 Rising for the DCC history of the event ‘Dublin City Council and the 1916 Rising’.

Book launches are good fun, a chance to meet and thank those who helped along the way, and a way of celebrating that the work is nally done.

Having started (and le down!) a few book projects over the years, I hope to return to another one, still on the deep well of forgotten DFB history, next year. We`ll see.

ATTENTION

e whiskey re book was a very meaningful project for me. I wrote the rst version for Kilmainham Tales publishers, run by my good friend, the late Micheál O Doibhilín. Micheál was also a mentor to me and had started me down the road of giving talks and publishing my research almost 15 years ago.

Because of the anniversary of the event, the whiskey re has attracted attention and has led to a series of talks on the

Revisiting History and New Opportunities Have Made for a Busy Year, writes Las Fallon

ABOVE: An illustration of the whiskey fire. BELOW: At the launch of my book on the 1875 Whiskey Fire. RIGHT: My republished book on the Great Liberties Whiskey

subject, one in Teelings Distillery as part of the ‘Culture Date with Dublin 8’ festival, a talk in the Royal Hospital (a beautiful venue) as part of their lecture series, and some planned talks as part of the Dublin Festival of History and some other history events.

PLAQUE

Of course, the whiskey re story is familiar to readers of this magazine and is mentioned by D/O Declan Rice in his piece in this issue for the 1875 Club, so I won`t bore them by going over it again (however, if you do forget the story there is a really good book on it available in all good bookshops!) One thing I sincerely hope comes out of this year is a proper memorial plaque to James Robert Ingram, rst chief of the DFB and a huge gure in our history. He lies in an unmarked grave, and one thing I have strived to do in the book and elsewhere is to raise awareness of him and his importance. A planned plaque to commemorate him at Tara Street has been temporarily held up but I am con dent that it will go ahead.

While Tara Street might seem an odd location to remember a man who never knew that station, built 27 years a er his death, the fact is that there are few places le associated with him. e original HQ at Coppinger Row is on a protected building and plaques are not allowed, the old No.2 station at Whitehorse

Yard is now under Civic O ces, and the streetscape of the Liberties re and other major res have changed beyond recognition, many lled with buildings which will not stand the test of time. My view was that the old re station at Tara Street is, for many Dubliners, as iconic an image of the city as the Poolbeg Towers, the GPO, or the Custom House. Most people associate that building with the DFB and I think it is a suitable place to remember the ‘father’ of the organisation.

1875 PRESIDENCY

Another thing which was new to me and which I am enjoying greatly was the bestowing of the presidency of the 1875 Club, the whiskey club for serving and retired DFB members (again, check out D/O Rice’s piece). I really was honoured to be given this role and consider it a great privilege. It is also a chance to meet and mingle with old friends and new and get to go to some interesting places and learn new things - always a good thing to do!

CLASS OF ‘85

is year was also signi cant for me personally because it marked 40 years since I joined DFB as part of the class of `85, the rst recruit class trained in the DFB Training Centre. Dave Snee gives a great account of the occasion in his piece in this issue. I`m a long time retired now, but greatly value the time I spent in the job and the friends made along the way, so it was great to meet up with those colleagues again.

BECAUSE OF THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE EVENT, THE WHISKEY FIRE HAS ATTRACTED ATTENTION AND HAS LED TO A SERIES OF TALKS ON THE SUBJECT”

THERE’S A LOT OF FOLLOW-UPS THIS SUMMER, BUT ALSO SOME GREAT NEW SERIES TO BINGE ON

SHRINKING

Apple TV+, 2 series, more to follow

Jason Segel and his co-creators Bill Lawrence (creator of Scrubs, Ted Lasso) and Brett Goldstein (Roy in Ted Lasso) have done stellar work in turning a potentially dark series about a recently-widowed psychologist who tries to turn his life around while helping his patients by becoming brutally honest into a light and funny comedy drama. Reconnecting with his daughter through di icult times, Segel is suitably hangdog as main character Jimmy, but Harrison Ford excels as a grumpier version of himself, and a supporting cast that grows into the story in the second series all play their parts in making this a very enjoyable and witty show with great dialogue. It’s not groundbreaking, but it is an easy binge watch that will leave you in good spirits.

THE RESIDENCE Netflix, 1 series

THE DIAMOND HEIST

Netflix, 1 series

The attempted robbery of the world’s most valuable diamond from the Millenium Dome in 2000 is right up Guy Ritchie’s street, and in this very interesting and entertaining three-part documentary executive-produced by him, we are brought into the London underworld to learn how main character Lee Wenham, a seasoned armed robber, and his cohorts, tried to pull of the biggest heist ever. The first episode tells the story from the robbers’ perspective, the second from the police side, with the third detailing how things went down. Pacey and stylish, it takes a ‘proper naughty’ approach to the robbers daring exploits, playing down their threat of violence, and has a lot of good twists and turns, right up to the final big reveal.

Described as an “Upstairs/Downstairs/Backstairs” mystery drama with comedic elements, this whodunnit is very reminiscent of Knives Out, and indeed makes subtle reference to it on occasion. e murder of a top White House aide on the evening of a State banquet for visiting Australian o cials brings chaos to the corridors of power, and super sleuth Cornelia Cupp is brought in to nd the culprit as quickly and quietly as possible. Her eccentricities mean the case will be anything but that, and while the unravelling of the mystery and the numerous red herrings are good, it’s the push and pull between nding the truth and covering up the lies and side issues almost every character seems to have that makes this an enjoyable watch.

CODE OF SILENCE

ITVX, 1 series

Rose Ayling-Ellis, who is deaf from birth, swept many a viewer away when she won Strictly Come Dancing, but she is in far less glamorous territory in this interesting drama about a kitchen porter at a police station who is brought into the fold by detectives as a lip reader to uncover the plans of a criminal gang they are chasing. Enchanted by the world of cops and robbers, she can’t help getting tangled up in the case, and with a dangerous curiosity, starts to embroil herself in the drama, despite being told to stick to the lip reading assignments she is tasked with. Unable to admit to the detectives that she has been following a lead suspect in her own time, she nds herself deeper in peril and out of her depth, but what will be the consequences?

MOBLAND

Paramount+, 1 series

A lot has been made of the frankly bizarre Irish accent Meath-native Pierce Brosnan takes on in this crime thriller set in London’s underworld. To be fair there are a few shaky accents, but the cast is very good, featuring Brosnan, Helen Mirren and Paddy Considine as the lead gures in the Harrigan crime family, and Tom Hardy as their imposing but worn-out xer/enforcer Harry De Souza. Harry is run ragged trying to prevent a war with the rival Richardson clan, his e orts scuppered at every turn by bad decisions and deceit, and his concern for his own family’s safety as the competing clans get more and more vicious. A fast-paced thriller with enough intrigue and action to keep you on the edge of your seat.

LOL: LAST ONE LAUGHING UK

Amazon Prime, 1 series, other regions also have versions

This fly-on-the-wall show has had many regional versions, including in Ireland, but this is perhaps the best. The idea is simple: put a bunch of comedians or comedy writers in a room and have them try to make each other laugh, all watched over on multiple cameras by Jimmy Carr, who removes each contestant as soon as they start to crack. With Daisy May Cooper, Joe Wilkinson, Rob Beckett, Roisin Conaty, Lou Sanders, Joe Lycett, Sara Pascoe, Judi Love, and Harriet Kemsley in the room, there are strong contenders, but the really big-hitters are the e ortlessly funny Bob Mortimer and the stony-faced Richard Ayoade.

THE STUDIO

AppleTV+, 1 series, 1 to follow

This slick satire of the Hollywood movie industry has the potential to run and run, with Seth Rogen playing Matt Remick, a put-upon studio exec whose desire to make quality films is constantly undermined by the corporate demands of his failing production company and the industry itself to make more money. With very long, drama-filled takes that wring out every cringe, it is great to look at, and genuinely funny too, and the casual viewer will enjoy the endless stream of short cameos by A-Listers. It’s as if Rogen took out his phonebook and got every one of his friends to take part in a big tonguein-cheek take and laugh at their own industry, and it’s compelling, enjoyable viewing as a result.

UNCHARTED WITH RAY GOGGINS

RTÉ Player, 1 series

Former Irish Army Ranger Ray Goggins takes people on an arduous journey through di icult terrain, the tough treks and amazing scenery encouraging them to share their thoughts on life, the universe and everything. The pairings are a little leftfield, with one episode featuring Leo Varadkar and singer Lyra trekking the mountainous Drakensberg in South Africa, and another seeing Paralympic gold medallist Ellen Keane and sixtime All-Ireland Camogie star Ashling Thompson travel to Bolivia. We also see Galway hurler Joe Canning and track and field star Thomas Barr trek through Colombia, but the highlight is Kneecap’s adventure in the frozen Arctic that sheds some interesting light on the rap trio.

ABOVE RIGHT: Sharing engaging and informative content. LEFT: The Sockies reward excellence in social media messaging and strategy. BELOW RIGHT: A great social media image promoting the recent recruitment campaign

MORE SOCKIES SUCCESS

DFB Was A Big Winner at the Social Media Awards, writes FF/P Stephen Cleary

Dublin Fire Brigade was once again successful at this year’s Social Media Awards, or the ‘Sockies’, which took place in Liberty Hall on 29 May. e event was sponsored by Heneghan Strategic Communications, with Bláithín de Burca the MC on the night.

Dublin Fire Brigade was nominated for three awards:

• Best use of Facebook for a public body

• Best use of Instagram for a public body

• Social Media Strategy for a public body

Competition was tough, with entries from previous winners including House of the Oireachtas, Central Bank of Ireland and the Irish Defence Forces. We were taken by surprise when we were announced as the winners for the rst two categories and bronze winner for our social media strategy. e awards could not have been achieved without the input from all our sta who contribute.

Our social media strategy hasn’t changed since its inception: It works, and works well. Our vision is to use social media platforms

and to utilise their reach to make Dublin a safer place to live, work and visit. We use our platforms to not only distribute information but also to gather information, which can be used for operational re ghting/incident management, training and re prevention. Where possible, Dublin Fire Brigade will use platforms socially – keeping it personable, humorous and engaging. We want a welcoming and approachable reputation for DFB’s online persona. It is imperative that we maintain our industry-leading standard and continue to be regarded as a trusted source of information.

Our mission on social media is to:

• Prevent res and injuries through advice and information

• Inform of incidents and emergencies

• Promote the work of Dublin Fire Brigade

• Maintain the core values of Dublin Fire Brigade to protect life, protect property and render humanitarian aid

• To act as a centre of digital communications between the public and media and DFB operations

Our Core Values are: PREVENT, INFORM, PROMOTE

Prevent: Use pre-planned campaigns and information/media gathered from previous incidents to use as a preventative message to the public, raise re safety awareness and help reduce re, rescue and medical incidents. It is proactive and reactive incident prevention.

Inform: Use information received from internal DFB communication systems, outside agencies or social media (social intelligence) to disseminate information that may be of importance to the public.

Promote: Use the platforms to promote Dublin Fire Brigade, and awareness of our work and involvement in the community, both operationally and non-operationally. We recognise that we serve and have responsibilities to a diverse community and we strive to make ourselves accessible to all demographics by utilising three platforms: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Our win at the Awards shows how well this is working.

EMERGENCY

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

SERVICES NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

HONG KONG COLLABORATION WITH NEIGHBOURS

e Hong Kong Fire Services Department joined up with the neighbouring Fire and Rescue Corps of Guangdong Province, China, and the Macao Fire Services Bureau to hold a major three-day joint emergency response and rescue exercise at the end of March. e exercise simulated extreme situations in Hong Kong to be responded to by re ghting and rescue personnel from all three agencies, with Guangdong personnel and vehicles given special access via the Shenzhen Bay Port. is collaboration comes on the back of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Hong Kong Fire and Ambulance Services Academy and the China Fire and Rescue Institute whereby the two institutes will co-operate in training re ghting and rescue personnel with quality, and foster innovation and development of re ghting and rescue technologies.

CHINA EV BATTERY RULES TIGHTENED

China has tightened regulations on battery-powered vehicles and will require its automakers to comply with higher battery safety standards to reduce the risks of re and explosions in one of the country’s fastest growing sectors. In April, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a new set of technical standards for batteries in EVs and plug-in hybrids, setting out stricter mandatory tests that will ensure batteries won’t catch re or explode in tests within a speci ed time period. ese standards are set to come into e ect from July 2026, and update a current version dating from 2020 that mandates a ve-minute warning if an EV is at risk of catching re. New tests relating to crash impact and tolerance of fast charging will also be introduced.

NORTHERN IRELAND HOSPITALITY SPEND SURGE

FINLAND

PROTECTIVE GEAR

e Ministry of the Interior has begun out tting the emergency services with helmets and bulletproof vests following a risk assessment that states there is a rising threat of violence, both within and outside its borders. Authorities have noted a surge in violent incidents across Europe and cited a knife attack in the city of Turku last year as an example. Anti-stab vests are already worn by rst responders in Kallio, the main emergency services station in Helsinki. Fire brigades in Helsinki will be the rst equipped with the protective gear, followed by the rest of the country.

e Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) spent more than £1million on hospitality in a three-year period during the COVID-19 pandemic, a er previously spending just £5,000 per year. e huge surge in spending was revealed by health minister Mike Nesbitt in response to an Assembly Question from DUP MLA Diane Dodds to detail all hospitality spending by his department in the last decade. e spend was £44,000 in 2019/20 at the beginning of the pandemic, before shooting up to £360,000 a year during the rst wave of COVID-19, with 2022/23 seeing the annual spend lowered to £140,000 before being signi cantly reduced to £34,000 in the most recent nancial year, 2023/24. An NIAS spokesperson defended the amount spent, saying it was an “appropriate and justi ed” use of public funds to support sta welfare during the pandemic. ey added that the amounts included “refreshment costs” where funds were used to provide meals for frontline sta when they were unable to access meal facilities, and “should not have been included as hospitality”.

PALESTINE GAZA AMBULANCE FLEET DOWN TO ONE THIRD

e head of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has said its ambulance eet is running at only a third of capacity due to fuel shortages in the war-stricken territory caused by months-long blockades by Israel. All of the organisation’s petrolpowered ambulances have been halted, but the remaining vehicles in operation are running on solar power provided by the UN. e PRCS is part of the world’s largest humanitarian network, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and provides medical care in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel, at war with Hamas since October 2023, has repeatedly defended its controls on aid, but has not commented on the lack of fuel available to run emergency services vehicles.

SLOVAKIA FIREFIGHTERS MOST TRUSTED

e Fire ghter and Emergency Corps (HaZZ) is viewed as the most credible institution in Slovakia, according to a survey carried out by the Statistics O ce’s subsidiary Infostat. In the survey conducted on a representative sample of 1,098 respondents in January, 89% of Slovaks said they trust the organisation, while the second most credible institutions were local government and the Statistics O ce, both trusted by 69%. Next came the Slovak army, which was deemed trustworthy by 66.8%, the President’s O ce (56.9%), churches and religious communities (55.6%) and the Police Corps (51.5%). Fewer than 50% trust the European Union (49.5%), NATO (47.5%) and the government (37.5%). e survey showed the Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS) as the least trustworthy institution, with only 24.7% of the respondents expressing faith in it.

USA ANTIQUE AMBULANCE BREAKS DISTANCE RECORD

e oldest licensed ambulance still in use in the United States has broken a Guinness World Record by travelling 3,233 miles from Hollywood, California to Hollywood, Florida. e 1972 Miller-Meteor Cadillac ambulance was driven across country by two men from Southern California EMS specialist company Symbiosis Ambulance and Texas-based nonpro t Axene Continuing Education to raise awareness of the importance of emergency medical services education, with a training session held at the end of the nine-day journey with re ghters and EMS personnel from Florida. Part of the Symbiosis eet, the vehicle has the same chassis and looks very similar to hearses and the Ecto-1 vehicle from Ghostbusters. “ is was the perfect opportunity that my students could engage with,” said Dr Erik Axene. “In the industry, most of the education is drab and boring. With the record attempt, everyone’s watching and engaged so they learn something, and patients are better taken care of and communities are safer.”

SPAIN CANARIES FOREST FIRE TEAM EXPANSION

Tenerife has put together the largest forest re ghting team in history this summer as the island rolled out its preparations for the summer season. Almost 1,000 emergency personnel are on high alert to be ready to act quickly and e ectively in case of wild re incidents. e operation began on 2 June and runs until 2 November and brought together several organisations including Tenerife’s Forest re ghters (Brifor), rapid response teams, the Spanish Army, Guardia Civil, local councils and sta from Teide National Park. Some 920 army patrols have been sent out over 92 days to watch over high-risk forest areas, with night-time aerial surveillance being introduced for the rst time using helicopters and drones equipped with thermal and video cameras. On the ground, the island is using a newly upgraded eet of re ghting vehicles, including re engines, water tankers, o -road vehicles and specialist equipment that enables water to be delivered to remote areas. e President of the Tenerife Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, said the island is better prepared than ever. Rosa Dávila, President of the Tenerife Cabildo or Council, said: “We’ve learned that quick action and good coordination can save lives and protect our forests. is year, we’ve increased our resources, our team, and our commitment.”

THE SECRET LIFE OF LEINSTER HOUSE

AUTHOR: GAVAN REILLY

PUBLISHER: GILL BOOKS

EASONS, HODGES & FIGGIS, DUBRAY BOOKS

Political correspondent Gavan Reilly went viral last year when he posted a video explaining how voting works using a tube of smarties, and in this very informative and entertaining book, he brings us behind the scenes at the hub of Irish democracy, Leinster House, to reveal how the country is really run. He gives us a ringside seat at the Cabinet table to show how decisions are made, but also explains and illustrates clearly everything from how public representatives deal with the sometimes cut-throat competition of both rivals and colleagues, to what running for election involves and how to navigate the comings and goings of the Dáil bar.

Reilly also examines why people would even want to become a politician in an age when representatives face constant abuse from other parties, the public and the media, and when the demands on personal and professional time are ever-mounting, and shows just what it takes to make it in this competitive and ruthless arena.

With his position as a prominent correspondent, Reilly enjoys unprecedented access to political insiders, and here he uses that clout to introduce not just the people in the political spotlight, but also the whips, lobbyists and advisers who pull the strings behind the scenes, and playfully reveals how (and why) minutes from behind-closed-doors parliamentary party meetings are leaked to the media. Li ing the lid on what really goes on in the hallowed halls and meeting rooms, he reveals what politicians want you to know about them, and more enjoyably, what they would rather keep under wraps.

ough enjoyable to read, there are serious messages to be taken on board in this ne work, and Reilly has set out to help people understand what Irish politics is really like. In doing so, there are quite a few eye-opening insights from those he interviewed, some given o -the-record, including how even in this modern age, there is an old-fashioned attitude towards politicians. Many, the author points out, are local xers who nd themselves suddenly standing in the middle of a national parliament, and he candidly points out that for some, “the key to retaining a seat in Leinster House is to be in Leinster House as little as possible”.

ere are sobering but unfortunately true observations such as how Dáíl debates “are in reality more akin to a series of statements read in a vacuum, in which one TD stands up, reads from a script and sits down,” and how parliamentary party meetings are “stage-managed and mundane,” but Reilly, who doesn’t appear to have any political party a nities, does show some sympathy for those tasked with running the country, and highlights that for the amount of work they are expected to do, the salary is not as much as some might expect.

Readers can make up their own minds on whether they share those sympathies, but with this book, they can at least better understand what it is like to be in these positions and to have a certain weight of expectation to get results in the face of bureaucracy and opposition from all sides.

THE BIG FIGHT: WHEN ALI CONQUERED IRELAND

Right up to the point where Muhammad Ali and his entourage touched down at Dublin Airport in July 1972, many found it hard to believe one of the most iconic sportsmen in history was really coming to Ireland to fight Al ‘Blue’ Lewis at Croke Park, and yet it happened. In this very enjoyable book, Irish Times columnist Dave Hannigan brings us back to a very di erent Ireland to show how the most famous athlete in the world was persuaded by entrepreneur Butty Sugrue to come to these shores to begin a week of glorious mayhem and fun. He shows how Ali went for jogs along Wicklow lanes, popped into local pubs, and chatted with the public – unthinkable nowadays – as well as visiting the GPO to receive a quick lesson on the Easter Rising, making his visit the greatest show on earth before the fight even took place. Through interviews with dozens of people lucky enough to meet Ali, the author has pieced together a fun narrative of a very unique event in Irish sporting history, and it is well worth the read.

BURN AFTER READING

Cork native Catherine Ryan Howard has carved herself a reputation as the queen of the unexpected twist, a sort of M Night Shyamalan of thriller writing, with bestsellers including The Nothing Man, 56 Days and Distress Signals. In her latest paperback, she continues in fine form to bring us the story of budding young ghostwriter Emily who is tasked with writing the memoir of a man, Jack Smyth, who was once hailed a hero for trying to rescue his wife from a burning building, only to come under serious suspicion once it was discovered she was already long dead. Smyth wants to tell his side of the story and prove his innocence, and with secrets of her own, Emily takes on the assignment, but soon learns that some stories should never be told. As with all of her novels, this is well constructed, original, captivating, suspenseful and intriguing, with another ingenious twist, and is one of those books that you will find hard to put down.

BUTTER

This quirky but intriguing debut novel by Asako Yuzuki has gained quite a cult following in Japan, and with this paperback translation, we now have the chance to enjoy it. Inspired by the real case of the “Konkatsu (marriage hunting) Killer” Kanae Kijima, who seduced numerous men by serving them delicious gourmet meals while conning them out of their money and killing three of them, in this novel we see ambitious journalist Rika Machida attempt to get the scoop of her life by interviewing the fictionalised Manako Kajii in jail. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they become more of a masterclass in food than journalistic research, and while Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii, she starts to suspect they have more in common than she thought. It’s at heart a celebration of food, but within this thriller’s pages there are also gripping explorations of obsession and the misogynistic views of femininity in Japanese culture. As interesting as it is entertaining.

AUTHOR: DAVE HANNIGAN

PUBLISHER: IRISH ACADEMIC PRESS

AVAILABLE: EASONS, HODGES & FIGGIS, DUBRAY BOOKS

PRICE: €18.99

AUTHOR: CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD

PUBLISHER: BANTAM BOOKS

AVAILABLE: EASONS, HODGES & FIGGIS, DUBRAY BOOKS PRICE: €15.99

AUTHOR: ASAKO YUZUKI (TRANSLATED BY POLLY BARTON)

PUBLISHER: 4TH ESTATE

AVAILABLE: EASONS, HODGES & FIGGIS, DUBRAY BOOKS PRICE: €15.99

ROBOT FIREFIGHTING DOG

Chinese robotics firm Unitree has unveiled advanced quadruped fire rescue robots capable of navigating hazardous environments with precision and e ciency. Able to climb stairs and operate in extreme conditions, the ‘robot dogs’ feature a powerful water cannon that can fire water or foam up to 200 feet, a visualisation platform that can live stream to remote teams to enhance situational awareness and decision-making, and a quick-swap battery system that ensures extended operational readiness. Constructed from composite metal materials, they are designed to withstand extreme heat, dust and debris. The water cannon has a flow rate of 10.5 gallons per second and has a flexible pitch range from 5 to 85 degrees, while a self-dewatering belt enables rapid drainage. Qingdao Firefighting and Rescue Support in China has already adopted the quadruped robots in its operations, and in recent drills focused on forest fire prevention, they played a crucial role in fire-source detection and post-disaster surveillance. Designed with a specialised air blower variant that uses high-speed airflow, they can suppress flames and dissipate heat, severing the connection between fire and fuel, reducing the risks to human crews operating in the area. The robots have also demonstrated capabilities in scenarios such as underground fires by conducting multi-level environmental reconnaissance using existing infrastructure such as internal elevators.

AR HELMETS TRIALLED IN USA

Some 80 re departments across the US have begun trialling new Augmented Reality (AR) helmets that improve visibility through thick smoke and stream real-time visuals to help locate victims and avoid obstacles. Developed by Qwake Technologies, the C-THRU helmet projects a live, thermal-based image of the room directly onto a display inside the helmet, enabling personnel to stay handsfree while maintaining situational awareness. It can also upload footage to a cloud-based system, enabling command sta and other team members to observe what re ghters are seeing on the ground. Lt Kevin Nazario of Orange County Fire Rescue, who are one of the 80 departments testing the AR helmets, said: “I think anything that can make us safer is always a positive in our industry. As technology increases, we always need to be on the edge of it, and Orange County Fire Rescue does a great job keeping up with the latest technology advances. It’s good, moving forward.”

AMPHIBIOUS FIREFIGHTING AIRCRAFT

Also in China, the Aviation Industry Corporation’s AG600 amphibious re ghting aircra has recently received its type certi cate from the Civil Aviation Administration, con rming its readiness for deployment. e largest civilian amphibious aircra currently in production, the cra known as ‘Kunlong’ is capable of carrying 12 tonnes of water with a maximum take-o weight of 60 tonnes, has a cruising speed of 220 kilometres per hour and a range of 4,500 kilometres, with a boat-like hull, wingtip oaters and wave-suppressing grooves for stable movement on water. It is designed for multi-role use including re ghting, maritime supply and emergency rescue. e AG600’s development has been a long and arduous task. It underwent extensive testing to ensure it could operate e ectively in both air and water, with more than 10,000 tests conducted in wind tunnels and hydrodynamic laboratories, with the development process involving more than 290 organisations and 16 universities across 22 Chinese provinces and cities. A er ve years of development, design started as far back as 2014, for a rst ight targeted at the time for 2015. e prototype was rolled out in 2016 and made its maiden ight at the end of 2017, before undergoing take-o and landing tests at a reservoir, then a rst test ight from the ocean in 2020. It successfully completed scooping and water dropping tests in 2022, and a er three more years gained its certi cation. Huang Lingcai, chief designer of the AG600 series, said: “ e development of this aircra has been very di cult, and it has been a tough nut to crack, but the testing has shown that it can meet the performance requirements for amphibious operations. It has achieved a major breakthrough in China’s civil aviation sector.”

THERMAL SYSTEM CERTIFICATION

The Spanish Ministry of Industry’s certification body Applus has awarded a Technical Evaluation of Suitability to MOBOTIX for its thermal systems, expanding the number of certified thermal sensors now approved to enable broader uses in large-scale or complex fire protection environments. The certification confirms that MOBOTIX thermal cameras can be integrated with existing fire alarm systems, and covers the company’s new Mx-4IOA-Box, Mx-NPAA-Box, and all M73 Thermal Radiometry sensors. Each sensor can support up to 20 detection zones, detecting temperature anomalies before visible smoke or flames appear. Thomas Lausten, CEO of MOBOTIX AG, said: “Our certificates and the continuous expansion of our portfolio are proof of our commitment to always being one step ahead. Our mission is to help our customers protect lives and property — with technologies that are reliable and forward-looking.”