Alarms still ringing over south Donegal fire station saga

There was little solace for county councillors from Ballyshannon and Bundoran when the often vexed issue of the recommendation of a new fire station as opposed to two replacement stations for the ones already there raised its head again at the May meeting of the Donegal Municipal District.
It began when Cllr Michael McMahon (SF) said the MD councillors needed to get together to have a workshop with council officials to see what the state of play was, regarding the long standing demand for the two old fire stations to be replaced in both towns.
Cllr Sweeny suggested that there needed to be an attempt to see where money would come for a two-station solution.
Director designate Donegal MD, Garry Martin, said that the fire services had to be “to be the honest broker and any decisions based on the evidence”.
He had already provided a fairly detailed chronology of the events, discussions and recommendations of the reports and that any more investigations would be “money badly spent”.
He intimated that there was no indication for any hunger to support a two station solution at any level and this absence of support for two stations meant there was a vacuum.
This had been communicated through the national directorate (National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management).
He said that the chief fire officer was trying to source documents that had been requested, but he said, after 20 odd years, what value would it bring, as so many things had changed in the interim, not least design.
He also wanted to respond to comments made in the press that “barrier after barrier” had been placed before them. The comment was made at the last MD by Cllr Sweeny, who had responded to two earlier questions that he had put to the council for a response at the April MD meeting).

BUNDORAN FIRE STATION AND INSET BALLYSHANNON FIRE STATION

Mr Martin said that no such barriers had existed at any time; the whole situation was very frustrating and what was required now was leadership.
He said that both himself and the fire services “had exhausted every single piece of evidence to support the proposal”, but it was quite clear from the national directorate to him as the director of the fire service in the county, “that we do need to make a decision”.
He also said that if either of the current stations became a health and safety issue for fire crews, he would have no hesitation in putting the safety of the crews there first and that would leave its own problems.
Cllr Barry Sweeny said that “we need to do the best to progress this”.
He added of his astonishment to learn that it would require €450,000 to put forward a business case for the retention of fire stations in both towns, as had been suggested at the last full meeting of the council in Lifford.
Cllr Michael McMahon said that he had been disappointed with the last plenary meeting in Lifford, where previously a stand had been taken that supported the two stations to be replaced in both towns in 2018.
“Why change now? You could nearly build a new fire station for that €450,000. We are not doing justice to the community or the people.”
He said that there was an urgency to meet the central government and meet them directly, not just civil servants.
“We can’t take this lying down. We are coming to a dead end. Some solution will have to be found.”
He added that as well as that. populations were going up in each town.
Nor was he sure where other first stations in the country were being closed and not being replaced.

‘Consistent Position’
Again, Mr Martin replied that it had been the consistent position over 40 years by the central government and “it is not in my ambit to do it”.
The executive of Donegal County Council could not put forward a different proposal that had previously been outlined for a single station to service both towns.
He said in reality, they were two old stations 6.3kms apart and serving a small population base and the interpretation that the loss of a station was a misconception, a view that was held by all senior officers within the fire services and whom he supported.
He also alluded to changes that were being advanced at national level, pertaining to the employment and retention of fire station personnel, which might help in terms of the forward progression of services throughout the country.
Cllr Noel Jordan said that ultimately, the solution may have to be found at a political level, with Cllr Barry Sweeny, stating that it was necessary to get a funding model in place that could accommodate the building of two new stations.
After further prolonged discussion Cathaoirleach Niamh Kennedy said that a forthcoming workshop may help expedite decisions.