FOUR retained firefighters have been recruited by Cork City Council for the Ballincollig Fire Station following a six-month campaign to fill the roles. The Ballincollig Fire Station requires a complement of 10 staff to be fully equipped but can be operational with seven or eight, so the local authority is continuing to recruit for the others needed at the station.

Following the boundary extension which saw Ballincollig become part of the city, the local fire station was operated by retained firefighters.

However, in 2020 there was a recruitment drive for full-time positions within the city’s service; several of Ballincollig’s retained firefighters were hired and were moved to the other city stations.

This left a deficit of staff at the station, which ultimately led to the closure of the station.

A spokesperson for the council said the current position is that the recruitment campaign for retained firefighters for Ballincollig is ongoing and is a key priority for the City Council.

“To date, four qualified candidates have successfully completed all operational and fitness tests and are garda vetted.”

The council outlined the local authority has a full-time station officer who could oversee the retained fire crew and they are examining the possibility of promoting existing council staff in the area to the available positions.

“The council is currently examining the potential for promoting opportunities within the retained firefighting ranks to existing local authority staff living in the area.”

Lord Mayor Colm Kelleher, a Ballincollig councillor, said it was imperative to have a functional fire station in Ballincollig.

“We need our retained fire service back as soon as possible. There has been a spate of arson in the village in the last couple of days, there were issues in the Regional Park and other areas. We require a retained fire service, it was there under the county council and there is a firm commitment by the city council to have the retained fire service.”

“There is an active campaign, there has been interest, and applications are being processed, but it is something that I can’t give a clear timeline on.”

To apply click visit https://tinyurl.com/5btee8f3.