On Friday last, November 29th, Ashbourne Fire Station celebrated the 20th anniversary of the opening of Ashbourne Fire station.

Back in the mid to late 1990s, Meath County Council decided to provide more strategic fire cover for the town of Ashbourne and its surrounding areas which were rapidly increasing in population.  Work commenced on the Ashbourne Fire Station in 1998 and was completed in November 1999. 

The new fire crew moved into the station on Friday, November 12th and two days later, early on Sunday morning, November 14th the crew received their first callout – a fire in an industrial estate in Ashbourne.  They spent the next year attending all calls, with the well-established crew in Dunshaughlin as back up.  However in January 2001, with 251 incidents already attended, the Ashbourne crew began to respond to incidents alone. 

Today’s crew consists of 10 in total - the station officer, sub-station officer, driver/mechanic and seven firefighters. They are a Retained crew and provide a 24/7 service with at least five crew available at any time of the day or night, weekends, Christmas Day and even during severe weather alerts. The crew provides a response time within five minutes of the initial call/alert at all times, and therefore live and work within the community they serve.

The day also recognised the role the fire services have played in Ireland’s history.  Cathaoirleach Cllr. Wayne Harding presented ‘The 1916 Centenary Fire Services Commemorative Medal’ to members of Ashbourne Fire Services.  The medal is a decoration specially designed by the Government of Ireland in honour of the role fire crews played during 2016, and the ongoing role they provide to their local communities as a frontline emergency service.

During his speech, Cathaoirleach Cllr. Wayne Harding added “It is a medal I hope you will wear with honour and that it acts as reminder of the long line of fellow fire men and women in whose footsteps you now follow”, he closed his speech by paying tribute to members of the fire services, “in particular I want to thank all of the members of the Fire Service, past and present, for providing this critical life-saving service to the people of Ashbourne and more widely in Meath. Well done to you all, you are a credit to Meath County Council and to your community.”