Brogan will fight 'orchestrated campaign' to close south Donegal fire stations

 A Donegal County Councillor has said he believes there is “an orchestrated campaign” to close the south Donegal fire stations.

Councillor Jimmy Brogan said he will fight tooth and nail to ensure that stations in Ballyshannon, Bundoran and Glencolmcille remain open. 

At September's sitting of the Donegal MD, plans from central government for a single, state-of-the-art fire station to serve both communities in Ballyshannon and Bundoran were discussed.

“Over the past few months, there has been a renewal of what I think is an orchestrated campaign to bring the Ballyshannon/Bundoran fire station issue to a close,” Cllr Brogan, a native of Mountcharles, said.

“This is an issue which I have been aware of in all my years working in politics and which has not moved on in all that time, in fact, has been going on for approximately 40 years. 

“As I see it, the council/government have made a complete mess of this and could have built both fire stations over the past 20-40 years for a fraction of the cost which it will now cost to build just one station - I fear one station is the preferred option by the council and the fire service if they can get away with it. 

“I, as a County Councillor, elected by all the people of Donegal MD, will not sanction the closing of any fire station as long as I am elected. This includes Ballyshannon, Bundoran and especially the fire station in Glenclomcille which I feel is under pressure to be closed because of the low call-out rate.”

Cllr Brogan stressed that the fire station in Glenclomcille is vital for the community it serves and is in need of repair. 

“This is probably one of the most rural fire stations in the country but the people it serves are as important as any person in any other town in Donegal or in Ireland," he added. "The fire station in Glen started as a voluntary fire service and was taken into charge by the council 40 years ago - the firemen who have served on the force over the years have given 100% commitment and I’ll be backing up that commitment to make sure it survives. 

“I remember the fire station being built when I was young, going to Glen for the weekend and I know it needs upgrades which needs to be done as soon as possible. The most important thing is the roller door, which might not open in an emergency and needs to be replaced ASAP.  

“I will definitely not even consider any possibility of the fire station closing in Glen as long as I’m elected and as long as I have any say in it. There is now a possibility of this decision being taken out of the councillors’ hands which I will resist wholeheartedly.

“I know there are other councillors in Donegal MD who are of the same view as myself and I will work with them to try to get a new fire station in all three locations which is the only sensible solution.  I hope the rest of the councillors will back us up on this and people need to contact the councillors they voted for to make sure this happens. 

“We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, where it seems as much money is wasted as is wisely spent and this can’t be forgotten. We see Government Ministers, Junior Ministers, Super Juniors, Committee Chairs and all the rest have no limit to what money is needed to form a government but over the past 40 years we can’t get funding for fire stations that will save lives of people in Ballyshannon Bundoran and Glen. We need to prioritise our tax money to best serve the people and this is another issue I won’t be backing down on.”