Maria McCormack (Sinn Fein)

I thank the Minister of State. I really appreciate him coming in. This is really an urgent matter. I am going to explain to him a little bit about the fire station in Rathdowney and a little bit about the history of it and where it is at now so he can understand how urgent this situation is. Rathdowney fire station is one of the oldest fire stations in the country. It was built in 1954, so that is about 70 years ago now. The site for a new modern station was purchased in 2009, yet 16 years later, it is still idle, undeveloped, unused and gathering dust. Meanwhile, the firefighters of Rathdowney continue to operate out of a building that is completely unfit for purpose. I have been to this building, and it is completely unfit for purpose. The current situation was designed for a single jeep and a small mobile pump, but today it houses three vehicles, including two large fire tenders. The building is cramped, outdated and located on a narrow street that makes it extremely difficult for crews to respond quickly to calls. It literally takes skill and precision just to manoeuvre the engine in and out of the building, something no firefighter should have to contend with when every second counts in an emergency. The situation inside the station is equally unacceptable. The changing area is 3 sq. m. We have four female firefighters there and six men, and we have two vacancies as well. The Minister of State can imagine 3 sq. m, with one shower and one changing area. This is just totally unacceptable in 2025 for dignity and respect for the women in the station, given we have a new site purchased since 2009 sitting there waiting to be refurbished. In this day and age, it is just not acceptable. The station does not even have car parking spaces, so people have to go there and park on double yellow lines, if they can get parking. These people are supposed to be responding to emergencies, when they can be delayed because they cannot park their cars to literally get out the fire trucks to get on the way.

Rathdowney serves a vast rural area covering south Laois and responding into parts of counties Offaly, Tipperary and Kilkenny. The service they provide is critical to rural safety and community resilience. Laois County Council has repeatedly made this project its number one priority for services, submitting applications every year. It submitted an application last year and again it was refused. We know Stradbally is getting refurbished at the minute, but every time they submit an application for Rathdowney, it is just pushed back. Today, I just want to get answers. It is shovel ready. It is ready to go. I visited the site, the warehouse that is with the site and the very small fire station these firefighters are working out of, so I just want to know when this long-promised commitment is going to be delivered, and why, 16 years after a site was purchased, our firefighters are still working out of a building that is no longer safe. It is not as if we do not have a site or funds for the site. It is metres up the road from the other fire station. Laois County Council and the people of Rathdowney deserve clarity and commitment. I ask that the Minister of State's Department prioritises the Rathdowney fire station project as a matter of urgency within the fire services capital programme and that construction will finally begin. These firefighters protect our communities, and it is time now that we protect the facilities that they deserve.