Mayo Civil Defence recognised at Áras an Uachtaráin ceremony

President Michael D. Higgins yesterday hosted officers and volunteers from Civil Defence units across the country at Áras an Uachtaráin to mark 75 years of Civil Defence in Ireland.

A voluntary organisation comprising of approximately 50 volunteers in Co Mayo, Mayo Civil Defence provides support to primary response agencies and local communities with highly trained members whose activities are valued by front line emergency services and local communities, attending approximately 100 events annually at a local level.

Francis Power, Civil Defence Officer for Mayo, remarked: "In our 75th year it is important that our members are recognised for the commitment they have given to their communities in the good times and during the more difficult and challenging situations they respond to, we were delighted to attend this reception.

The president paid tribute to decades of service by Civil Defence Volunteers stating: "Whether it be through its service in medical rescue, search and rescue, emergency response, radiation monitoring, or community assistance, the Civil Defence volunteers have shown, time and again, their dedication and response capability in support of the primary emergency services and their local communities.

"I take this opportunity to commend all members, past and present, for this work and for their spirit of volunteerism, giving back to their local community and indeed to wider society.”

The Civil Defence is organised on a local authority basis across the State.

The organisation was first established by the Government in December 1950, in preparation for a potential nuclear war which was then seen as distinctly possible.

At that time, the emphasis was on war response, including search and rescue, medical first aid, and welfare through rest centres.

The modern Civil Defence has evolved into a professionalised volunteer service, specialising in the use of drones and thermal cameras for search and rescue, and operating a modern

fleet of response vehicles and boats. The organisation supports the Principal Response Agencies in a variety of emergency and non-emergency duties, including medical response and extreme weather response.

Across the country, Civil Defence supports more than 3,000 duties every year.

Many of the non-emergency response duties are in support of local communities. To ensure it can continue to serve local communities, Civil Defence needs volunteers from all communities, and is actively recruiting across the country for a range of skillsets