New Civil Defence HQ officially opened

New Civil Defence HQ officially opened

Cavan Civil Defence’s new Headquarters and Training Centre at Pullamore Cavan has been officially opened by Minister for Enterprise, Trade, and Employment Peter Burke TD, and Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, Cllr Philip Brady.

The new facility, which comprises three separate commercial units which were purchased by Cavan County Council and amalgamated and refitted to accommodate the requirements of the modern Civil Defence service with an investment of over €1,000,000, boasts storage facilities for the Civil Defence’s fleet of boats, ambulances, and vehicles, meeting rooms, training room, special facilities for the water rescue team, canteen, and office space.

The project has been primarily funded by Cavan County Council, with an additional €150,000 contributed by the Department of Defence.

Speaking at the launch, Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, Cllr Philip Brady hailed the contribution of Civil Defence volunteers to their community, pointing out that their dedication had been recognised on a national stage when Cavan Civil Defence scooped the LAMA Award for Best Emergency Response Team in Ireland in 2021.

“The people of Cavan are immensely proud of the members of the Civil Defence,” said Cllr Brady, “To contribute the level of service that you do to your community in a voluntary capacity is truly remarkable and I commend you for your outstanding dedication. Already highly trained, this specially fitted-out training centre will allow you to further hone your impressive skillset, to the great benefit of the people of Cavan”.

Minister Burke, who initially committed to opening the facility before his promotion to his current role, spoke of his desire to come to Cavan to salute the Civil Defence volunteers’ “professionalism, community spirit, and volunteerism”.

“I am a huge fan and supporter of the Civil Defence organisation. I’m delighted to be here. It’s a very special day to see this fantastic building that is going to be a massive asset to the community,” said Minister Burke.

The Minister also paid special tribute to Cavan Civil Defence officer for his “five decades of commitment to this organisation, to volunteerism, to community, to helping his county and his country”.

Chief Executive of Cavan County Council Eoin Doyle said it was “a proud day for Cavan Civil Defence” and noted that the provision of a dedicated Headquarters for the Civil Defence had been a strategic priority for the local authority. Mr Doyle also paid tribute to Civil Defence Officer John Maguire, Assistant Civil Defence Officer Carmel Prior, and Chief Fire Officer Noel O’Reilly for their efforts in bringing this project to fruition.

Civil Defence Officer John Maguire thanked the many volunteers of Cavan Civil Defence for their ongoing commitment to the organisation, and also hailed the role of former Civil Defence Officers Noel Burke and John McDermott in developing the organisation to its current high level.

“I want to thank the volunteers whose commitment and dedication to serving their communities has earned the respect and support of the people of Cavan, and is the reason we are here today,” said Mr Maguire.