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Remarks at a reception to mark the 150th Anniversary of the Dublin Fire Brigade

Áras an Uachtaráin, 14th September 2012

Chief Fire Officer Stephen Brady, Ladies and Gentlemen:

Cuirim fáilte ó chroí romhaibh chuig Áras an Uachtaráin um thráthnóna. Fáiltím roimh an-chuid dreamanna anseo san Áras ach is pribhléid ar leith dom é deis a bheith agam fáiltiú a chur roimh bhaill Bhriogáid Dóiteáin Átha Cliath le linn na bliana seo agus sibh ag ceiliúradh 150 bliana de sheirbhís. Tá áthas orm an oiread sin díbh a fheiceáil anseo agus a bheith in ann comghairdeas a dhéanamh libh go pearsanta, agus mo mhórmheas a chur in iúl daoibh as an gcaoi a chuireann sibh lenár sochaí le bhur seirbhísí dóiteáin agus otharchairr.

[You are all very, very welcome here to Áras an Uachtaráin this evening. I welcome many groups to the Áras but it is a true privilege to have the opportunity today to greet members of the Dublin Fire Brigade during the year that you celebrate your one hundred and fiftieth anniversary. I am delighted to see so many of you here today and to be able to congratulate you personally and express my respect for the contribution you make to our society through your fire-fighting and your ambulance services.]

A career in the emergency services is a choice that requires commitment to society,
a concern for others, a real desire to be an active participant in life and an unselfish altruism that always marks out the true heroes within our communities. For those who choose to work in the emergency services, the pain and suffering of others who have experienced a fire, or a tragic accident, is something they must witness on a frequent basis. There can be no doubt that it is not a career for the faint hearted, but one that requires enormous reservoirs of courage and great strength of character. Not only do you have to have the necessary hard technical skill to assist the victims of accidents and emergencies but also the soft human skills of care and compassion to support and comfort people who are traumatised by what they have endured or witnessed.

This anniversary celebration is a reminder of how fortunate we are to have so many heroes and role models within our society; people who are prepared day in and day out to make huge personal sacrifices and to sometimes put their own lives at risk, in order to help their fellow citizens. And, of course, you are not just asked to be heroes five days a week between 9 and 5. The nature of your vocation requires shift work to give society the security of 24/7 cover. That shift work makes extra demands on you and on your families and I thank you for the personal sacrifices you make so that the community can be safer.
Your professional, generous and compassionate service reassures me that, despite the rampant materialism that so recently threatened the fabric of our society, we are still at heart a decent people, a people who have not lost that fundamental instinct to act in the common interest, to respond to those in need and to say a resounding ‘yes’ to our communities.

Since its inception a hundred and fifty years ago the Dublin Fire Brigade has, of course, had to adapt its services to a constantly growing and evolving city. Back in 1862, when the Dublin Corporation Fire Brigade Act was enacted allowing for the establishment of an organized fire fighting force, the brigade consisted of just twenty four men working in a fire station off Winetavern Street. Today over one hundred and fifty fire fighters, and many more support staff, operate from fifteen fire stations around the city of Dublin and its greatly expanded suburbs. Those intervening years have seen the brigade deal with several major infernos including the great Whiskey Blaze of 1875 and the fires caused by the 1916 Easter Rising, and with many never forgotten tragedies including the Dublin bombings in 1974 and the catastrophic Stardust fire in 1981. They have also seen the huge improvements in fire fighting that have been enabled by new technologies, including the major switch from hand to mechanical pumpers during the early twentieth century.

And, of course, the risks and dangers to which the fire and ambulance service must respond continued and still continue to evolve, and the service must continue to be improved and modified to respond to those changes. It is reassuring to know that, along with Winnipeg in Canada, Dublin can claim the fastest response time in the world for getting paramedic care to accident victims. That is an amazing achievement and one of which Dublin Fire Brigade should be very proud indeed.

As it continues to respond to new challenges I am confident that the Dublin Fire Brigade will also continue to unfailingly and unselfishly give the very best to its city into the future and to build on and improve the already excellent service it provides.

I would like to conclude by thanking you all for coming here today and for the unfailing way you continue to face with courage and commitment the many risks and dangers confronted you in dealing with fires and many other emergency and rescue situations.
I commend you for the way you respectfully and compassionately engage with victims and their families. I congratulate you on one hundred and fifty years of dedicated service to the people of Dublin and I wish you every success as you continue with your important work of service to the community.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh go leir.