Clare's Retained Firefighters Say They Can No Longer Battle Work And Family Commitments

Firefighters across Clare say they can no longer fight the battle between work and family commitments. Crew members across the county convened at Ennis Fire Station today to call for the urgent enhancement of working conditions in the sector. The doors of Ennis Fire Station will remain closed today however the surrounds are a hive of activity. Retained firefighters from across the county's brigades have formed a picket line at the town station, in a bid to address a recruitment and retention crisis in the sector. There are currently over 2,000 retained firefighters nationwide comprising two thirds of Ireland's total force, with On-Call first responders on duty 24 hours a day/340 days-a-year. They must remain within 2.5 Kilometers of their stations at all times, for a base payment of €8,500 per annum. A South East Clare crew member claims the service is facing imminent collapse, however, due to the unattractive working conditions. Edward Moloney, who's the Killaloe Shop Steward, believes staff members can't afford to take annual leave or holiday entitlements. Edward says he's become trapped in a moral quandary between spending time with his family and providing a critical community service. Meanwhile a Kilrush firefighter is raising concerns over the future viability of the service. A recent survey found that 6 in 10 fire brigade members would leave their brigades if conditions did not improve. Kilrush fire station is currently operating at just over 50% capacity and Shop Steward , Barry Copley fears the recruitment crisis could have devastating impacts for the safety of local towns and villages.