How a modern and well-trained Mayo Fire Service was first put in place

Local History by Alan King

Mayo Fire Service serves one of the largest fire authority areas in the country and over the years has evolved and developed into a highly trained organisation capable of a large range of emergency operations/incidents.

One of the earliest pieces of legislation, the Towns Improvement Act of 1854, allowed for local authorities to provide fire fighting and related equipment to be provided at their discretion for towns which were above 1,500 in population.

At this time, members of the police (RIC) and the local military operated a very basic service for the town, but it was not until a series of potentially disastrous fires, which occurred around the late 1890s, that finally convinced the authorities to investigate the formation of a local fire service.

For example, in 1895, a fire, located in a hayloft at the rear of James Faukner’s premises in Main Street (located where the Mill Lane/Market Square car park is today), highlighted the total inadequacy of the service.

It appeared that there was not a sufficient length of hose to reach the town river, but the RIC and other civilian volunteers managed somehow to extinguish the blaze by forming a human chain with buckets.

In 1901, Mr. Dominick A. Browne, D.L., from Breaffy House, presented to the town a fire appliance, which consisted of a fire escape (special type of ladder which could reach 40 ft) and 200 feet of hose, with complete connections, made by the firm of Merryweather of London and transported by a mud cart.

The next step was the formation of a Volunteer Fire Brigade for the town, so the UDC asked Mr. Francis O’Donel, J.P., and a Land Agent from Ellison Street (located across from the Bank of Ireland today) to act as Captain of the Brigade.

A public subscription list was also opened to raise funds. They were dealt an early blow when both the District Inspector of the RIC and the Officer Commanding the local Connaught Rangers informed the Council that due to regulations, their officers and constables could not be members of the new Brigade, but they pledged their help and support.

At their inaugural meeting held in the Court on the 7th of November, 1905, the following were accepted as Volunteers: Francis O’Donel, J.P., (Capt.), Dr. Brabazon, M.D., P.F. MacCormack, J.P., H.R. Sheridan, William Gibbons, Francis Faulkner, T.M. Quinn, James A. Carter and T. Lavelle. Michael P. Daly was the Hon. Secretary.

An instructor from the firm of Merryweathers, London, was contracted for a fee of £5 to drill the new members in the use of the fire appliances.

Shortly afterwards, the Browne’s of Breaffy once again presented a new hose, which was estimated to have cost £100, to the town, with the only provision that a brass plate be affixed to the appliance.

These fire fighting apparatus were kept in a large shed especially constructed to store them, belonging to Francis O’Donel in Ellison Street. Other apparatus were stored in the Courthouse, the Asylum and at the Prison.

In September 1940, the Fire Brigade was reorganised under the supervision of the Town Surveyor, Thomas McGowan, B.E. (brother of Jim ‘Tot’ McGowan, the Mayo star All-Ireland footballer) and Séan O’Connell, B.E., Assistant Surveyor as Second Officer.

Thirty-two local men, due to their professions as plumbers, builders, tradesmen and builders’ labourers, were asked to consider becoming new volunteers and they all agreed to do so.

The town was divided into four Groupings and the method approved of in the case of a fire alarm being sounded, consisted of a nominated person, known as a Running Scout, notifying a particular member in each Grouping who in turn would give the alarm to every man in the area.

At this stage, all the fire apparatus was stored in Staunton’s Yard, Spencer Street (two doors down from the Cinema), which eventually moved to a building in the yard of the old vacant Council Infirmary at the Mall, where Mayo County Council HQ is now located. In January 1941, Séan O’Connell, at a Mayo County Council meeting, was authorised to carry out the necessary repairs to the building at the Mall, at an estimated cost of £38, and to purchase the necessary equipment which amounted to £223 in total and consisted of items such as helmets, fireproof coats, belts, axes, etc.

The first fire fighting tender unit, a Ford V8, with the registration No. IZ4680, was purchased in 1942 and was based in the town until 1954 when it was sent to Ballina, when Mayo County Council purchased a second tender.

It returned to the town in 1958 where it was in use as the Auxiliary Fire Tender until 1972. It was kept at the County Home until it was rehoused at the new station.

Lectures were given in the Bar Room of the Courthouse three nights a week.

Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings were devoted to practical work which took place on the Mall where large crowds would gather to witness the training.

The fire fighters were trained for Air Raid Precautions and the County Council received a loan from the Dept. of Defence for a trailer pump.

The local Security Force (LSF) also provided extra cover as they purchased 20 Stirrup Pumps for fire fighting in an emergency. They were distributed in strategically place positions throughout the town, with one pump for every 50 houses.

In 1954, John J. Reilly, local building contractor, secured the contract for the building of a new fire station, with living quarters and machinery sheds, at the Mall and two years later, Captain Charles Garvey, Custume Barracks, Athlone, was appointed as the first Fire Chief in Mayo.

Mayo finally had a modern and well-trained Fire Brigade which continues to provide a vital service to this day, to the town and throughout the county.

(Alan King is a member of the staff of Mayo County Library).