Opinion: Our firefighters never let us down and they deserve all our support

The response by the fire service to the recent floods in Donegal is a reminder of the vital service that these people provide.

As retained firefighters continue their strike action, it is worth reflecting on how much we rely on them in times of crisis.

I remember one Christmas Eve, not long after we had moved into our home, maybe 16 or 17 years ago. It had been a hectic few weeks, but the running around was over. The kids were tucked up in bed, the last of the presents were wrapped. 

It began to snow quite heavily, and as I looked through the sitting room window at the snow falling outside, I was feeling quite serene - until I noticed sparks among the snowflakes. 

I ran outside and my fears were confirmed - the chimney was on fire.

I called 999 while my partner threw water onto the fire in the hearth, but still the sparks flew from the chimney. Surrounded by trees and mindful of how potentially huge an inferno it could become, I didn’t know whether to drag the children out of their beds and get away, whether everything we owned would be destroyed.

The person on the end of the telephone line was calm and reassuring. And moments later, I got a call from the local fire service to let me know they were on their way and to clarify directions. 

They asked a few questions, and then answered mine - leave the children in bed, they’ll be grand, I was told. 

I was worried about the roads being slippery with the snow. And even though we had no idea why the chimney had gone on fire, I was feeling guilty about people having to come from their homes on such a treacherous night, and especially on Christmas Eve.

When I voiced some of these concerns, and was told, “Siobhan, we’re fine. This is what we do. You just keep an eye on things there and let me know if anything changes.”

A few minutes later, I heard the siren and saw the blue flashing lights reflected on the snow. As the fire engine pulled up outside the house, it was without doubt the most comforting sight I had ever seen. The fear and tension left my body and I think I cried in relief. 

As some of the crew took ladders to the roof, one of the firefighters came inside. He looked at the hearth, and chatted, and was such a calming presence. 

I was still concerned about the safety of the children, but he told me to leave them to sleep -  there was no need to frighten them. 

Within what must only have been around 20 minutes, the crew were putting everything back in place on the fire engine, with only footsteps in the snow to show that they had been there. 

I went out to chat to them, to apologise, and to thank them for coming out on such an awful night. They were incredibly humble and gracious. 

Before piling back into the fire engine, a few of them engaged in a light-hearted snowball fight. It eased the tension, and left everyone laughing and smiling. 

Our crisis was relatively minor, but I got a sense of what it meant to see that fire engine arriving at your door, to see those people take control, doing everything they could to resolve the situation.

I remember interviewing a retiring firefighter a few years ago. He told me he would miss the camaraderie but he would not miss not the horror of seeing someone from his community at the scene of a car crash. 

He said the thing that would never leave him was the sickness in the pit of his stomach when he would realise that he knew the people involved, knew their families and friends. 

And I remember thinking to myself that despite the horror, the danger, the personal toll, he had continued to turn up, answering the call again and again. 

I was thinking about this when the firefighter strike began last month, about how these people from our community drop everything to respond to other people’s emergencies. 

We never know how huge that is until we need them ourselves. 

There are people who experienced that enormous sense of gratitude for our firefighters when their homes and businesses were flooded in east Donegal in recent weeks. 

From a horrific road traffic collision, to battling to pump water from homes and shops, to a tragic house fire, the full scope of their expertise and commitment to the people of Donegal was called upon over that same weekend.

I have witnessed our fire crews in action in all of these types of situations. I know that they don’t stop until there is not a single thing more that can be done, no matter how long that takes. 

I know how committed they are to regular training, to improving their skills and doing whatever it takes to always be as prepared and as sharp as possible in a crisis - a crisis that could be yours, or mine, or that of someone close to us. 

Their demands aren’t particularly high, especially in light of how much they give. 

Imagine what our society would be like without them.