FUNDING of €2m has been earmarked for a scheme designed to support fire and rescue services operating in areas along the border of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The investment will support a major cross border project aimed at strengthening emergency preparedness, mutual aid and interoperability between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The National Directorate of Fire and Emergency Management, working in partnership with Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), South West College (SWC) and Mayo Sligo Leitrim Education & Training Board (MSLETB), have secured the funding – which totals just over €2m, or £1.8m, from PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
“This project will ensure that public and firefighter safety is at the heart of planning, preparedness and response mechanisms on the island of Ireland,” Ireland’s Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne said following the funding announcement.
“This is critical to success over the next three years,” he added.
NIFRS Chief Fire and Rescue Officer Aidan Jennings said the project will “enhance the capability and resilience of border fire and rescue services, building upon the strong cooperation that already exists”.
He added: “The core of this project is about enhancing firefighter and public safety by building shared capacity to respond to emergencies and help build safer more resilient communities.
“Tragic incidents such as Cresslough, fatal house fires and road traffic collisions in border areas, combined with the rising frequency of severe weather, flooding and wildfires, reinforce the need for a strategic approach and investment to joint agency interoperability, training, mutual aid and the development of new advisory and governance structures,” he added.
Known as the TACTICS Project (Training Across Communities for Tactical Interoperability for Cross-Border Safety), the PEACEPLUS investment will bring together firefighters and emergency personnel from both North and southern Ireland for shared training, joint exercises, and specialist development programmes.