Minister Peter Burke visits the ongoing build of the new fire station in Ballyjamesduff. From left: Deputy Brendan Smith, Cllr Trevor Smyth, chair, Ballyjamesduff Municipal District; Eoin Doyle, Director of Services, Cavan County Council; Cllr Winston Bennett (FG), Leigh Jackson and Jimmy Jackson, Sandar Properties; Noel O’Reilly, Chief Fire Officer; John Lovett, Ballyjamesduff Fire Station; Peter Burke, Minister of State for Local Government & Planning; Senator Diarmuid Wilson (FF); Cathaoirleach Clifford Kelly (FF), Margaret McNally, Cavan County Council; Tommy Ryan, Chief Executive, Cavan County Council; Deputy Niamh Smyth (FF), Damien Smith, Sandar & Johnathon Jackson, Sandar. Photo: Lorraine Teevan

€1.5m Ballyjamesduff Fire Station to open in summer

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Ballyjamesduff Fire Brigade are set to move to their new, state-of-the-art fire station at Rassan Road as early as summer 2022.A fire service spokesperson said “significant progress” is being made on the project.

The €1.46 million station, the last of Cavan’s 10 fire stations to be modernised, is being fully funded by the Department of Local Government. Last Friday the Minister of State with Responsibility for Local Government and Planning, Peter Burke, visited the site to survey progress.

“Our retained firefighters provide a crucial life-saving role in their community, and I am pleased that my department has been able to provide the crew here in Ballyjamesduff with a modern station worthy of their skill and dedication,” Minister Burke told the Celt.

“I look forward to seeing this state-of-the-art facility become operational later this year.”

Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, Cllr Clifford Kelly thanked the Minister and his Department for their support of the fire service in County Cavan: “I was delighted to attend the opening of Virginia Fire Station in 2019 and look forward to seeing Ballyjamesduff Station become operational this summer, thereby ensuring all of the county’s firefighters have access to high-quality, modern facilities.”

Acknowledging the support of successive Ministers in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for the local fire service Cathaoirleach Kelly said: “Looking at the excellent progress being made on-site, I’m sure the Minister would agree that it has been a most worthwhile investment.”

The project is being delivered by Cavan-based contractor Sandar Construction, and Chief Fire Officer Noel O’Reilly said excellent progress had been made: “We are very hopeful that the crew here in Ballyjamesduff will be responding to incidents from their new base as early as this summer. “I would like to thank Sandar Construction, our fire officers, and also our elected members for their efforts in getting the project to this advanced stage. Ballyjamesduff Brigade represents a very wide catchment area, so it’s a station of great strategic importance, with an incredibly dedicated crew, so I am particularly pleased to see this station near completion,” added CFO O’Reilly.

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