The Chief Executive of Roscommon County Council has hit back at reports that it took a half-hour for fire services to attend an incident in Castlerea in early September.
Speaking at the September meeting of Roscommon County Council, Eugene Cummins said that in fact, it took just 17 minutes for the unit from Ballaghaderreen to attend the scene of a blaze at a derelict building metres away from the now-defunct Castlerea Fire Station on September 2nd last.
The CE described as "gossip" reports that it took half an hour for services to arrive and he also paid tribute to the professionalism and sincerity of the firefighters expressing full confidence and respect for every member.
Previously, Sinn Féin Roscommon Galway TD Claire Kerrane called on local people to write to the Council Chief opposing his decision to permanently close the fire station in Castlerea in July, following the findings of an independently reviewed report that stated that Roscommon is adequately served by existing fire services.
