Heroic Callan firefighters break with industrial action to attend horror crash

Callan firefighters responded to a 999 call to attend a serious collision on Saturday despite an escalation in industrial action in recent days.

The collision involved a lorry and a car at Cuffesgrange between Kilkenny City and Callan and the driver of the car was taken to St Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny with serious injuries.

Kilkenny President of AILG pledges support for retained fire fighters

The firefighters who attended the scene have been lauded on social media for their actions.
Community activist, Derek Devoy said:

“I think it needs to be mentioned that the Callan Fire Crew left their picket to try their best to save a life! They received a call reporting an incident involving a truck and a car and a person was reported trapped.

“I asked myself the question, why did they leave their picket in the middle of industrial action when they are fighting to be recognised for the amazing work they do?

“I answered it very quickly! These group of men would do everything in their power to try and save a life and ensure that their local community both far and wide are safe,” he added.

The crews involved have been commended for their actions locally which happened just days after an escalation in industrial action.

On Friday a document circulated to businesses in the city stated that ‘the nearest fire station that will respond to any fire or emergency at your premises will be approximately 30 minutes away’ and advised that ‘the impacts on existing insurance cover, if any, should be considered due to the unavoidable increase in Fire Service response times on the above dates’.

However a retained firefighter, working in Kilkenny, confirmed to the Kilkenny People that when there is ‘a threat to life’ the retained firefighters will respond.

The escalation in strike action will result in Kilkenny City Fire Station closing for 24 hours from 8am on August 16 to 8am on August 17,  from 8am on August 18 to 8am on August 19, from 8am on August 20 to 8am on August 21 and for 48 hours from August 24 to 8am on August 26. The seven fire stations across the city and county will also be closed on certain dates over the coming weeks due to the strike action.

The statement issued to Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce also states that ‘Kilkenny County Council is responsible for providing Fire and Rescue services to your business’ and adds that if local businesses  are unhappy with this situation they should contact info@kilkennycoco.ie and mark your email for the attention of the Chief Fire Officer.

Retained fire fighters across the country are seeking better terms and conditions and commenced industrial action in June.
Meanwhile President of The Association of Irish Local Government, Councillor Pat Fitzpatrick has pledged his support for retained fire fighters.

“Retained firefighters are on call 24/7. They make huge personal and family sacrifices by doing this job as they have to be available constantly especially with the low staffing numbers. They can never stray too far from home and often miss family holidays, school plays, and family trips – things that the rest of us take for granted,” he said. 
“I was speaking to a local retained firefighter lately in Kilkenny who told me that one Sunday morning he was having breakfast with his family when his pager went off and within 15 minutes he was helping a family evacuate from their home after a major flood. It is only fair, right and proper that the pay and condition of the people that provide this vital service to the public is addressed to the satisfaction of the retained fighters,” said Cllr Fitzpatrick.

PRIORITY

In a statement Kilkenny County Council stated that their priority throughout this process is to ensure employee and public safety.

“ It is understood that all emergency calls will be responded to during the dispute, though some calls may have a delayed response due to the industrial action,” a council spokesperson said.