Disappointment in Ballincollig amid lack of plans to reopen local fire station

There has been considerable disappointment in Ballincollig at the news last week that a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) proposal accepted by Cork city firefighters does not provide for the reopening of Ballincollig Fire Station.

The proposal, which was accepted last Monday by 72% of those balloted, would see the introduction of a ‘fourth pump’, which would be crewed out of the fire brigade’s Anglesea Street headquarters.

Firefighter and Siptu shop stewart Billy Crowley described the latest WRC proposals as “a step in the right direction”, and he thanked the people of Ballincollig who had supported the firefighters’ campaign and held protests outside the closed fire station.

Mr Crowley said Cork city firefighters understood the feeling amongst people of Ballincollig that the station should be reopened.

“And that may be the case, but there has to be a data-driven case for it. And that will require patience,” he said.

Fianna Fáil’s Councillor Colm Kelleher, welcomed the reinstatement of a fourth pump in Cork city, but called for clarity on the details of any future deal.

“I welcome the reinstatement of the fourth pump, albeit there is a line in the agreement that it would be based out of Anglesea St and would have a presence in Ballincollig,” he told The Echo.

“There’s going to be a four-week lead-in of operational exercise carried out to see how that can be achieved.

“I would be hoping that, even though it’s based out of Anglesea St, that [the fourth pump] could come [to Ballincollig] on a daytime basis and open our station on a daytime basis.” 

Sinn Féin have described the proposal as “falling far short of what the people of Ballincollig need and deserve”.

Sinn Féin councillor Eolan Ryng said the closure of Ballincollig Fire Station since November 2021 had been due to the failure of Cork City Council to recruit firefighter.

“This flies in the face of assurances given to the people of Ballincollig when the city boundary was redrawn in 2019 that our fire service would be retained,” he said.

“The new proposal to have a fire brigade ‘presence’ in Ballincollig, but no full-time reopening of Ballincollig station, is a fudge and it falls far short of what the people of Ballincollig need and deserve.

“What it does at the very least acknowledge is that there is a need for a fourth fire pump in the city and that a retained service is no longer fit for purpose in an urban area. This is something we have been saying since 2021,” Cllr Ryng added.

“Ballincollig fire station needs to be operational to ensure the entire city and surrounding areas are properly served.” His party colleague, local area representative Joe Lynch, added some fighting words.

“It appears that some Ballincollig-based public representatives are prepared to tolerate Cork City Council management pulling the wool over the eyes of the people of Ballincollig.

“In July, local councillors from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael abstained on a motion in City Hall directing the Council to reopen Ballincollig fire station. Ballincollig is being badly let down by such inaction,” Mr Lynch said.

“Ballincollig fire station needs to be reopened on a full-time basis without delay.”