'We've had fathers and sons working side by side': 16 recruits join Cork fire brigade ‘family’

The recent passing-out parade for the recruits of Cork City Fire Brigade was an emotional affair.

Welcoming the probationary firefighters into the Brigade Family, David Spillett, the recently appointed Chief Fire Officer of Cork City Fire Brigade, had an extra reason to feel proud.

Not only have these 16 new recruits passed through some of the most rigorous training and testing over the past year to join the ranks of Cork City Fire Brigade. Many, like his youngest brother Peter, are carrying on a family tradition.

Their father, Adrian, who retired from the rank of Third Officer in 2013 after 42 years of service, also joined them for the celebrations.

Third Officer, Robert O’Brien, too, had much cause for celebration as his son Colin was one of the recruits who passed out in February. He is the third generation from the O’Brien family to serve in the fire brigade.

“My dad joined in the mid-60s”, explained Robert, “and retired after 28 years of service. I joined in 1992 and was joined by my brother Steven in 1994.”

Steven has now retired but served for a time in the same unit as his brother.

Family is a word that dominates the conversations. Not only is there an invisible familial bond of trust and loyalty among the firefighters. Since its inception in 1877, the roots of inter-generational families are also threaded into the larger support structure of the brigade itself.

“Spanning several generations, we’ve had fathers and sons, brothers, from multiple families, working side by side,” explains David.

Family surnames such as Beecher, Birmingham, Bolster, Brennan, Buckley, Byrne, Cotter, Crean, Cronin, Crowley, Higgins, Hosford, Irwin, Lawton, McCann, McGowan, McSweeney, Murphy, Murtagh, O’Brien, O’Connell, O’Connor, O’Donoghue, O’Riordan, Poland, Ring, Scannell, Spillett, and Walsh, along with many others who served alongside them, are hugely associated with the brigade.

The history of these families is inextricably woven into the very fabric of the history, traditions, and culture of the Cork City Fire Brigade, and by extension, Cork.

Kevin Higgins is one such example. The fifth generation of his family to serve in the brigade, on December 11, 1920, the fateful night Cork burned down, both his great-grandfather Martin and great great-grandfather Patrick worked side by side, with their fellow firefighters, in very hostile conditions, to help bring the fire under control and save our city.

“This deep connection with our heritage promotes our strength, relationships, traditions and history,” says David.

While he insists that they are just “ordinary people”, the extraordinary job they do, on a daily basis, is beyond words.

“Not everyone is cut out for the job”, says Adrian Spillett, retired third officer, whose motivation for joining, back in 1970, was his desire to help people.

“I was always inclined to help people. I saw it as my duty to look out for them. I went to school in Sullivans Quay, just down the road from the fire station, and was also in the civil defence which had an auxiliary fire service. Both sparked an interest in me.

“The entrance criteria are so difficult, however, that many don’t get in on the first attempt.”

David’s stand-out childhood memory was of his dad, Adrian, arriving home from a night shift, “smelling of smoke, leaving his cap and his boots at the front door, and me excitedly jumping into those boots.”

“My attraction to the job was the pride I had in seeing my dad go out the door in his uniform, doing such a noble job. I wanted to do my bit too, make sure I could help.”

When he first joined the ranks, 25 years ago, the mantra was ‘to protect life, property and render humanitarian assistance’.

While the job is constantly evolving, this driving force remains unchanged.

“The number of actual fires has reduced in that time,” David says. “However, there has been an increase in the numbers of special services, like river rescues, road traffic accidents and medical assistance. The call rate for our 140-member brigade in 2024 was 3,500.”

While the improvements in fire standards in buildings has led to a reduction in conventional fires, the risk to the firefighters has increased.

“We have to be aware of stuff that wasn’t an issue a few years ago,” explains David. “There would have been no such thing as batteries but now houses have e-scooters, e-bikes, lithium batteries, solar panels. All this new technology is leading to an increase in the risk of electrical type incidents and serious fire conditions, including chemical and gas contamination or even potential explosions.”

As Third Officer, Robert O’Brien has the onerous task of managing incidents on the ground, assessing and controlling the risks, before committing his crew.

Health and safety procedures have improved significantly since he joined the brigade 33 years ago, and these are rigorously upheld to ensure the protection of all.

In its 148-year history, three people have lost their lives during service, the most recent being Dick Beecher who died on the job, 50 years ago, in Washington Street.

“I hope none of us will ever have to experience that loss again,” adds David.

“Dad never discussed at home the scenes or emergencies he had attended. Although nowadays we can discuss stories more freely.

“This is a bond that is shared with colleagues. We can all relate to some of the incidents that we attended. They affect and shape you as a person.

“We are blessed to have good support on the job. It is very much teamwork.”

And the support at home is equally as important.

“I consider it like an eco-system”, insists David. “We couldn’t do those long, difficult hours at times without such wonderful support at home.”

An additional challenge in these changing times is the diminishing number of applicants during recent recruitment drives.

“That is felt across all the emergency services”, he says. “There was a time when we would have had 2,500 to 3,000 applicants, but there has been a steady downward trend and that is worrying.”

The most recent recruitment drive saw initial applicants whittled down to the 16 firefighters who passed out last month.

“It was an extremely proud day for myself and my wife Linda,” said Robert. “Colin always wanted to be a firefighter and worked so hard to get where he is, even working part-time with Carrigaline fire brigade for a year.

“I was also present on their first day, as part of the training team, so it was brilliant to see them as fully fledged firefighters now,” he adds.

From minor to severe incidents, the team of firefighters pulls together in an unshakeable bond of trust, support, loyalty and family.

“We are so lucky to have the career and opportunities that are afforded to us in Cork City Fire Brigade,” David Spillett concludes.

“The commonality between us is the shared desire to help people in times of need.”