Fire Service Under Fire

The fire service North and South has come under major scrutiny after the deaths of three fire fighters in separate incidents.

Sinn Féin has launched a cross-border campaign for radical reform of the fire service with a joint statement from Cllr Paddy Butcher on Limavady Borough Council in Co Londonderry and Cllr John Brady from Bray Town Council.

They have demanded an independent enquiry to revisit the circumstances into the deaths of fire fighters Joe McCloskey Brian Murray and Mark O'Shaughnessy.

Fire fighter McCloskey, 50, died on 2nd November 2003 after a fire at the Gorteen House Hotel in Limavady on Halloween night.

Fire fighters Murray, 46, and O'Shaughnessy, 26, lost their lives during an attempt to bring a warehouse fire under control in Bray Co Wicklow on September 26th 2007.

Mr McCloskey from Dungiven died when he feel into flames after the roof he was working on collapsed. He suffered first degree burns to 95% of his body.

An investigation was conducted by the Northern Ireland Fire Service after the incident, but it failed to establish who gave the order to Mr McCloskey.

Cllr Butcher who is the brother-in-law of the late Joe McCloskey said: "Sinn Féin refuses to accept that these deaths were tragic 'accidents'.

"We maintain that systematic failures in both method and practice from the most senior management team must be explained.

"Furthermore, command and control confusion at ground level on the night of both incidents in Limavady and Bray were the root cause of the deaths of these three courageous young men," he said.

"My party colleague Cllr John Brady has already called for a single National Fire Authority as recommended in the Government-commissioned Farrell Grant Sparks Report 2002 and for a full time fire service to be established in the South."

"Those in authority right up to Government must take responsibility for the failure to provide the resources and protection needed for fire fighters to carry out their duties.

"The families of all three fire fighters have been in constant contact and met together here in Bray last year. We are planning to hold another meeting in Limavady to promote this campaign."

The matter is expected to be explored further on the BBC 1 Northern Ireland programme Spotlight at 10.35pm on Tuesday night.

(DW/BMcC)