Call for clarity on Ringaskiddy R&H Hall fire review report

COUNCIL members from the Carrigaline Municipal District have called for more clarity from Cork County Council in relation to the post-incident review report and an improved communications system following the fire at the R&H Hall facility in Ringaskiddy in January last year.

The councillors unanimously supported a motion from Marcia D’Alton that Cork County Council would update on the commitments made to undertake a post-incident review leading to a local response plan for Ringaskiddy that could be adopted by all agencies. Ms D’Alton said residents were concerned about the communication at the time of the fire.

“There was much criticism at the time from the residents in the Ringaskiddy area about the lack of early communication from the authorities about the extent of the fire,” she said. 

“They did not know what was happening. They got their information largely from social media. Nobody knew whether there was a need for an evacuation.”

Ms D’Alton said commitments were made at a full council meeting after the fire, but no updates have been issued since. “As the fire was still burning, we discussed it vigorously with the council,” she said. “We discussed the need for emergency notification systems.

“The CEO told us that a formal post-incident review will be undertaken and that this would examine everything that had happened on-site, including communications and engagement. He said the learning from that would help to further develop thinking around a local incident plan. He said that Cork County Council would be happy to engage with local residents on the port and enhance this perhaps with a text alert system.

“In March, Cllr McGrath asked for an update on the post-incident review report and we were told it was currently being done. We haven’t had an update since. We haven’t seen the post-incident report. Critically, nothing about that granular local incident plan and connection with the residents has been mentioned at all.”

She said it was important to residents to know that lessons had been learned. “We got out of jail that weekend,” said Seamus McGrath, who has called for a system to be devised to help get the message out quickly in the event of an emergency.

“It had a traumatic effect on the community. The lack of information was an issue. There has to be a system devised to get a message quickly out to people. We have to pursue this further. There is no indication that a better system would be in place. The county-wide emergency plan is the one that will be activated. This is not satisfactory. It is not the joined-up approach we were seeking.

“We asked for a specific granular response to the issue, given the unique circumstances of Ringaskiddy. It is a vibrant community that lives in close proximity to heavy industry. We need to ensure there is an adequate response.”

Carrigaline Municipal District officer, Carol Conway, said she will relay the views of the councillors to the director of the environment.

Ms D’Alton said the reply needs to deal with what the councillors asked for, namely the learnings from the post-incident report and how they have addressed the local response.