AFTER SEVENTEEN WEEKS of rigorous training, today 50 recruits had their Fire Brigade passing-out parade.
A total of 48 recruits were from the Dublin Fire Brigade, while two were from the Waterford Fire Service.
With the sun beaming down, the passing-out parade at the Fire Brigade Training Centre in Dublin was opened by a march and performance by the Dublin Fire Brigade Pipe Band.
(Can’t see the video? Click here)
Then, for the assembled crowd, recruits demonstrated some of the skills they have learned over the course of their training.
The 50 of them showed how they had learned to deal with hazardous materials and road traffic collisions, along with a demonstration of how they extinguish kitchen fires and shop fires.
All recruits completed a total of 29,120 hours of instruction with 50 Dublin Fire Brigade specialist instructors, including training from An Garda Siochana, Dublin Bus, McElhinny Trucks and the Luas.
Throughout the course of the training, the recruits took an average of 32,483 steps every day. The recommended daily steps for an average person? 10,000.
‘I was looking for a change’
Seven of the recruits to graduate today have previously worked in the Defence Forces.
One ex-Defence Force worker, Darren Murphy (35), was awarded the Silver Axe award for being “the best recruit of the class” by Lord Mayor Carr. He explained why he wanted to be a firefighter.
“I was looking for a change and I felt that Dublin Fire Brigade could give that change to me,” Murphy told TheJournal.ie.
It’s different from the Defence Forces because you’re learning new skills. I wouldn’t have done anything with the BA through the Defence Forces or road traffic collisions, so it’s totally new skills that I’m learning while bringing the skills I had from the forces in with me to the Fire Brigade.
“It’s a great service to give to the city and I wanted to be a part of that service,” he said.
Coming from a family of six firefighters, Craig Hyland (26) from Naas, Kildare, said that it was a massive honour to pass-out today.
“Today, I’m the third generation of firefighter coming from my family. My grandad, my dad and his two uncles and my cousin are all in the Fire Brigade, so the total number in our family is six at the moment,” Hyland said.
“My sister is in the panel for the next class as well. There’s not many third generations in the Fire Brigade so it’s a very proud day for myself and the family. It’s in my family and it’s in my blood,” he said.
Hyland’s father Mark Hyland has served in the Dublin Fire Brigade for 25 years.
He said:
It’s brilliant. My dad started in 1975, so that’s where the start of our Fire Brigade career [began]. The last time I was here was at my own pass-out 25 years ago. To be here today with my son, I just can’t describe how happy and proud I am.
The average age of today’s recruit class is 25.5 years. The oldest recruit is 48, while the youngest recruit is 20.
From here, the recruits will be assigned to stations across Dublin and Waterford.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin Brendan Carr addressed the recruits at the beginning of the passing-out parade.
“The calibre of the recruits passing out is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the instructors and of the recruits themselves,” he said.
Fire services provide a vital service for the cities and counties that they serve and I have no doubt that all new firefighters joining the ranks of Dublin Fire Brigade and Waterford Fire Service will continue to uphold that proud service.
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