Cavan fire service at top of spending list for Council

Cavan County Council spent the third highest amount of any local authority in the country on upgrading and developing new facilities for the local fire service.

Since 2019 a sum of €3.483 million has been drawn down by the council by way of capital funding for local fire stations from the Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

In December 2020 a new Fire Services Capital Programme for 2021-25, with a funding allocation of €61m, was announced.

Cavan has 10 stations - Cavan Town, Kingscourt, Virginia, Ballyconnell, Dowra, Cootehill, Bailieborough, Ballyjamesduff, Belturbet and Killeshandra.

In 2022, Ballyjamesduff Fire Brigade moved to their new €1.5M fire station at Rassan Road, and in 2019 the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys, officially opened the new €1.7M fire station in Virginia.

A sum of €1.448 was provided by the department to the council in 2019, followed by €623,000 in 2020, and €1.412M in 2022.

The amount spent in Cavan over the five year period was bettered only by councils in Cork (€4.066M), and Tipperary (€4.837M).

In Monaghan €1.895M was spent by the council on its fire service since 2019, most recently with approval has been granted to accept the tender of PJ Treacy and Sons for the construction of a new fire station in Ballybay, to cost €3,262,922.

In Leitrim €604,000 was spent in 2020, in Longford €463,000 in 2022.