Fire crew has responded to 10 fatalities already in 2024

Members of Claremorris Fire Service have responded to 71 incidents already this year, including ten fatalities in car accidents. 

The shocking statistics were presented to the Western People by Seamus O’Brien, the Station Officer, at last week’s demonstration for Fire Safety Week.

“Obviously, it’s very tough on the families of the people involved,” Seamus said, “and for any passengers in the vehicles involved or other people involved in the accidents with them. Our sympathies go out to them all. But it’s very tough on the younger members of the fire crew too. 

"I’m at this for 30 years but some of the younger members aren’t in that long, and it is very tough on them attending accidents where there are fatalities. That’s an awful lot of fatalities in such a short time, and all of them on the roads.” 

There has been a spate of fatal accidents on the Mayo roads this year, with seven deaths alone on the N17 between Ballindine and Knock.

The purpose of the open day at the station was to make the public aware of the risks of fire and to show people how to deal with domestic fires. One demonstration was particularly eye-catching. The crew set up a mock chip-pan fire – a common occurrence in modern homes. The pan caught fire which was in itself spectacular, but when the crew member attempted to extinguish it with water, the flame flared outwards and upwards, into a really spectacular fireball.

“That’s the effect of adding water,” Seamus said. “A grease fire happens when the cooking oil becomes too hot. When heating, oils first start to boil, then they'll start smoking, and then they'll catch fire. The last thing you should add, at that point, is water,” Seamus explains. “That causes an explosion of fire – making the problem a lot worse and more dangerous, than was first the case.” 

Seamus said that placing a metal lid on the burning chip pan will extinguish the fire but adds the risk of getting burned in the process. The right thing to use in the circumstances, he said, was a dry powder fire extinguisher.

Seamus said that the biggest cause of domestic fires nowadays is not chimney fires, but device-chargers.

“There’s not as many chimneys in houses now, anyway,” he said, “and the number of chimney fires has dropped, but what has risen is the number of fires caused by device chargers – things like phone chargers, chargers for game consoles, laptops – things like that. In general, things shouldn’t be left plugged in longer than they need to be. Switch the power off at the socket, for washing machines, dryers, televisions and electronic things when they are not in use.” 

Seamus said that the fire station personnel are going around house-to-house, fitting smoke alarms free of charge to the public.

“Every house should have working smoke alarms. Your sense of smell doesn’t work when you are asleep. The free alarm fitting was originally intended as a service for elderly people, but we have extended that now. We fit them for people that need them,” Seamus said. “If anybody that is looking for an alarm contacts us, we will go and fit an alarm for them.” 

Seamus said the fire service personnel carry out a variety of work. 

“We also rescue people trapped in lifts,” he said.

“Claremorris Fire Station has 12 retained firefighters, up from nine last year, and we are on call all of the time. We are paid a retainer by Mayo County Council and then we are paid for the calls separately,” Seamus explained.

The crew trains every Tuesday night with a variety of drills to be undertaken.