One of the State's largest fire services received a significant boost this weekend when details were announced of a €4 million investment which will allow for the construction of new stations and the provision of a purpose built headquarters.
Minister for State for the Environment Batt O'Keeffe hailed the the investment in fire services in Co Cork as a major development for the service.
The minister confirmed at the weekend that under the Fire Services Capital Programme for 2005, Cork County Council would receive funding for a new headquarters office in Ballincollig and a new fire station at Youghal.
The funding will also allow the county council to invite tenders for two new fire appliances while it will also allow Cork City Council to invite tenders for one new fire appliance, in a move designed to expand and upgrade services.
The Cork County Fire Service is one of the most extensive in the State. Many of the crews from Castletownbere and Bantry in west Cork to Charleville and Mitchelstown in north Cork consist of part-time members on retainers.
The service has been involved some of the State's worst disasters, including the Whiddy Island oil terminal explosion in 1979 when 50 people died and the Buttevant train crash in 1980, when 18 people died.
Mr O'Keeffe said it was a logical step for the headquarters of the county fire service to move to the county. The headquarters were previously located in the North Mall in Cork city.
"It is important that the headquarters of the fire service in Cork is located in the county council area and particularly appropriate that it is located in Ballincollig, the fastest-growing town in the county."
Preparatory work on the €3 million headquarters will be take 20 months, but it will mark the latest stage in the development of the service.
In recent hears, new stations have been completed completed in Ballincollig, Skibbereen and Fermoy.
"These three stations were completed at a cost of €2.5 million and work is currently in progress on a new €800,000 station in Kinsale while construction work will start later this year on a new €1 million station in Millstreet," Mr O'Keeffe added.
"The provision of the new fire station and headquarters office accommodation, which are expected to be advanced to a construction stage within the next 20 months, will be a further step in the ongoing development of the fire service in Cork county," according to the Minister.
