Laois fire station gets shipping container for toilet facilities
Mountmellick gets temporary toilets while Stradbally and Rathdowney fire stations await new stations.
Construction of the €3.2m new Stradbally fire station is progressing, as are plans for a new station in Rathdowny.
However in contrast the busy fire station in Mountmellick fire station has been given a shipping container for the immediate needs of staff, with no plan listed for a new station.
Laois County Council gave an update on both stations, at its October meeting.
In Stradbally, work is well underway on the two bay station.
“The contract between Laois County Council and Ormonde Construction Ltd. was signed on the 29th April 2026.
“Construction of the new fire station started on the 18th of May 2026. Work is progressing, with the roof complete and work on floors progressing,” the Laois CEO Michael Rainey reports.
It will also have a training yard with drill tower, lecture room, canteen and staff facilities for 12 fire-fighters. The facilities will also include individual changing areas for each crew member. It will be built to Near Zero Energy Building (NZEB) standards making it environmentally friendly to heat.
However Mountmellick has been given a more basic immediate support for staff, in the form of a red painted shipping container.
The small station next to the Owenass River in Irishtown, has had its rear ground cleared of overgrowth to make space.
“The NDFEM has funded minor upgrade works, to include a 10 m x 3 m modular toilet unit, to cater for both DEI and increased staffing levels under the 2023 WRC Agreement, and enhanced car parking at Mountmellick Fire Station. This work will be completed by the end of November,” the council said.
The works are the responsibility of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) who fund the fire service.
Rathdowney is next on the list in Laois to get a new station, but it will be some years before that is built.
The council says that a tender process is about to be completed to source architects.
“Rathdowney Fire Station NDFEM approval to proceed to detailed design and costings for a new 2-bay Fire Station in Rathdowney has been received.
“Tender process to appoint a design team has been published on eTenders with a stage one closing date of mid- November.”
Mountmellick’s fire crew has had the third busiest year out of the county’s eight stations.
They responded to 141 emergency incidents, compared to the busiest in Portlaoise of 304, and the least busy in Rathdowney, at 45 responses. It was slightly ahead of Stradbally who attended 139 incidents.
Laois County Council has been asked to confirm what the long term plans for Mountmellick fire station are, and how much the toilet shipping container has cost.