Clara fire station has highest crew numbers in forty years

The recent addition of a new firefighter in Clara fire station marked a historical milestone. It sees the crew strength in the station reach 10 staff, for the first time in over 40 years.

This is in stark contrast to 20 years ago when, with the local fire station was facing closure, and there was only a crew of 4 who were on call every day and every night.

Thankfully, following a successful local campaign the station was given a reprieve, with the agreement that it would only remain open if the numbers of firefighters would rise to a safe level of 8. With the huge support of the local community, a successful recruitment campaign took place and the additional 4 firefighters were appointed.

Since then any recruitment campaign was successful and all vacancies in the past 20 years have been filled. There have been additional improvement works carried out at the existing station, vehicles have been upgraded and an additional support vehicle added to the fleet, a number of internal promotions have taken place, training has improved and plans for a brand new fire station in Clara are at an advanced stage.

Following the recent national industrial action by retained fire crews, staffing levels have increased to 10. This means that firefighters can have much improved time off-making it easier for them to fulfil their other work commitments and improves their family work/life balance. Up to now almost all firefighters had to be on call, at all times, meaning they could rarely leave town, placing extreme pressure on the crew and their families.

As part of the agreement another 2 firefighters are now being recruited in Clara, which will allow for local firefighters to develop a week on/week off system, meaning that every second week any member who wishes can take the entire week away from the fire service , if they wish to. This will improve the flexibility of their work/life balance, while also guaranteeing full fire cover in the town.

It is vital that these 2 positions are filled, as it will show the communities continued support for the local fire service.

When on-call firefighters carry a pager. When it activates they must be in a position to drop what they are doing and be at the fire station within 5 minutes. For this reason successful applicants must live and work within a reasonable distance of Clara fire station. The positions are open to male and female applicants. Firefighters are paid to be on call, with extra payments for call-outs and training courses. If you think that you might suit, or you know someone who might, feel free to contact any of the local crew or see Offaly Fire and Rescue or Offaly County Council social media pages.

Closing date is July 18.