Fresh calls for Castlerea Fire Station to reopen
The house in Castlerea badly damaged by fire earlier this month
There have been fresh calls for the fire station to reopen in Castlerea. The service has been closed since 2017.
Sinn Féin TD for Roscommon/Galway Claire Kerrane has said that Roscommon County Council must reopen Castlerea Fire Station in the interest of safety. Her call comes as the council meets today.
“On May 7th there was a house fire in Castlerea. The person who phoned 999 waited 25 minutes for a fire brigade to arrive,” said Deputy Kerrane this morning.
“On the very same evening, I understand, a bog fire broke out just outside Ballinlough, and another Mayo brigade had to attend this fire.
“And they had to be directed to this fire by a local. The response time was about an hour, I understand.
“The loss of the Fire Station in Castlerea is leading to longer response times from the time of the 999 call to arrival at the scene. There is also a lack of local knowledge when the brigade is coming from outside the county. Also, what if the other Mayo brigade was out on call?
“Again, this is not a criticism of neighbouring fire brigades who are doing double the work and covering much larger areas on top of their own. They should always be commended.” She said it is now over a year since she asked the council to undertake a review of the county’s fire service. “As I have, since being elected, I will continue to consistently raise the need for this life saving service to be returned to Castlerea. They deserve nothing less.”
Cathaoirleach, Cllr Paschal Fitzmaurice is also raising the issue in the council this afternoon. He is calling on the local authority to reassess the level of fire service in all parts of County Roscommon and take into account factors of risk including the number of fires in each area, population, and response times.
He also called on it to set up a working group to recommend to the Government to fund a fire service in areas like Castlerea.
Speaking on the motion, Cllr Fitzmaurice said a fire service was badly needed for a town the size of Castlerea, with a population of approximately two and half thousand people.
He asked “how could it be justified” that the town did not have its own fire service.
His proposal received strong support from fellow councillors.
