Major extension to Athlone Fire Station now set to proceed
A €600,000 allocation to allow a long-planned extension to Athlone Fire Station to proceed has been included in a new capital programme for fire services published last week.
The Fire Service Capital Programme 2021-2025 indicates that the extension to Athlone fire station is "ready to commence" and allocated the €600,000 funding to the project.
The issue of the delayed extension was highlighted in Westmeath County Council's recent annual budget. The extension was given planning approval in 2017 but the funding green light was awaited from the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management section (NDFEM) of the Department of Housing.
In his report on environment and water services as part of Westmeath County Council's budget preparation recently, Martin Murray, Director of Services, confirmed that plans and costings had been submitted to NDFEM and they were “positively disposed” to the project which would see an extension to cater for the increasing number of vehicles being used by the service.
The station on Coosan Point Road, which was built in 1984, can accommodate four trucks and three smaller vehicles, such as jeeps. The extension to the rear of the base would allow for more vehicle storage with up ten accommodated.
The planned expansion to the rear of the existing station will "extend the appliance bay by 160 sq metres into the existing yard and relocate the roller doors to the new elevation." By increasing the length of the appliance bays, two trucks will be able to comfortably park, front to rear, and ready for dispatch.
Fianna Fail TD and Minister of State Robert Troy welcomed the funding boost and said the project, along with an allocation for Kilbeggan, and a new fire engine, underlined the Government's commitment to the fire service in the region.
Minister of State Peter Burke said: “Following close consultation with local authorities, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage carried out a comprehensive analysis of their proposals for fire stations works.
“In order to maintain a reliable fleet in optimal condition, a total of €27.7 million has been allocated for fire appliances which will be delivered in two tranches. In the first tranche, 35 new appliances will be provided at an approximate cost of almost €16 million.
"This is a clear demonstration of the Government’s support for our fire service and the work they do in protecting people, communities, property and local infrastructure from fire and other emergency situations."