Past and present members of Limerick City Fire and Rescue Service gathered at Mulgrave Street Fire Station today as the Service took delivery of two new fire fighting vehicles.
Each tender cost €287,500, and their arrival brings to 13 the number of vehicles located in the city centre.
Each of the tenders are capable of delivering 4,000 litres of water per minute and carry four different types of fire ladders, fire fighting hose, foam, fire extinguishers, breathing apparatus sets and hydraulic crash rescue equipment.
Among those who attended the handover ceremony were representatives of the local Council, and past and present Fire Fighters from Limerick City Fire and Rescue Service. Dressed in old fire kits, a number of retired Fire Fighters provided live demonstrations of the first fire appliances ever acquired by the Brigade in 1930 and 1952.
Speaking at the handover of the Emergency Tenders by McCarthy Commercials of Watergrasshill in Cork, Mayor Gerry McLoughlin said: “The people of Limerick City and its environs are indebted to the men and women of the local Fire Service who provide a professional service 24-hours a day, 365 days a year”.
City Council Director of Services Josephine Cotter Coughlan, said that the delivery of the new Water Tenders “further enhances Mulgrave Street Fire Station’s status as one of the best equipped facilities of its kind in the Mid West region”.
Chief Fire Officer Michael Ryan explained that Limerick City Fire and Rescue Service upgrades its fleet on a regular basis.
“Operational on a 24/7 basis, the fleet now comprises specialist aerial appliances for high-rise rescues as well as special incident and water carrying vehicles. The provision of a modern and efficient service fleet is complemented by the fact that the Service’s 60 operational officers and firefighters regularly participate in training events, both regionally and nationally.
“This constant upskilling has further enhanced their capacity to respond to an average of between 1500 and 2000 emergency calls every year,” Mr. Ryan said.
