New fire station opens in Macroom

The new fire station in Macroom was officially opened this week.

With a total floor area of approximately 308 m² over 1 floor, it is composed of 2 main formal elements, an appliance bay for the storage of fire appliances and a domestic bay, to house the watch room, muster bay, kitchenette, lecture/training room and ancillary spaces.

The new building is also universally accessible. Located on Gurteenroe Road next to Macroom’s new garda station, it will allow easy access to the new bypass to a service which responds to approximately 150 incidents per year including house fires, road traffic collisions, chimney fires as well as gorse, hill and grass fires.

The new fire station will be staffed by a local crew of 10 in total, which includes a station officer, sub-station officer, driver mechanic and 7 firefighters.

It was officially opened on Monday by the Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr Danny Collins and Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien.

Designed by Cork County Council staff and constructed by Cahalane Brothers’ Construction, the new fire station is a state-of-the-art building, tied to the national network of fire service mobilisation and communications centres.

Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr Danny Collins highlighted said: “This new, state of the art fire station, is a fantastic addition to Macroom and will serve the community well. This is a project that has been a real team effort across a range of specialist skills. The new Macroom Fire Station has been designed to the highest of modern standards and is equipped with many new elements such as storage for fire appliances and bay areas. It will be a superb base for our firefighters who carry out essential work here and most importantly serve the community when called upon.”

Speaking at the launch, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien said: “The Macroom Fire Station crew, along with all stations in Cork County Fire and Rescue Service, respond to a wide range of emergency incidents from fires, road traffic collisions, chemical incidents, water rescues and severe weather events. This new station will provide greatly improved facilities to ensure the continued delivery of an effective emergency and fire safety response to the community for generations to come.

“In May of 2022, I had the pleasure to open the new fire station at Kanturk, and my department are currently working with Cork County Council on a new fire station for Clonakilty. This long term investment through my Departments Fire Services Capital Programme not only ensures the continued development of a sound service infrastructure of fire stations, but the further investment in vehicle fleet, specialist equipment and command and control capability, reflects the importance we place on fire safety in terms of our citizens and property.”