EDITOR’S LETTER

Editor:

Adam Hyland

Consulting Editor:

Dan Fynes

Contributors:

Dan Fynes, Ger Ryan, Mark Toner

Designer:

James Moore

Cover Credit: Damien Storan

Photography:

Dublin Fire Brigade, Dublin City Council, Damien Storan, Ray McMonagle, Trevor Hunt, Adam Hyland, Paul Rock, Michael Duggan, Dave Kavanagh, Dave Connolly, Keith Mason, Mark Toner, Sandycover, Hachette, Mercier Press

Sales Manager:

David Byrne

Production Executive:

Claire Kiernan

Publisher:

Chesterfox Ltd, T/A Firecall Magazine, P.O. Box 6766, Dublin 2. Tel: (01) 432 2200; Fax: (01) 6727100

Managing Director:

Gerry Tynan

Chairman:

Diarmaid Lennon

Distribution by:

Magazine Mailing Ashville Media Group Unit 55, Park West Road, Park West, Dublin 12 Tel: (01) 432 2200 Fax: (01) 676 6043

Publisher’s Statement:

The information in Firecall is carefully researched and believed to be accurate and authoritative, but neither the Dublin Fire Brigade Sports & Social Club nor the publisher can accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. Statements and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Editor or of the publisher.

Copyright ©2021 Firecall Magazine

No part of this may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher. Dear readers,

Welcome to the latest issue of Firecall. We are not quite out of the woods yet, but the roll out of vaccines and the gradual easing of restrictions has meant that some activities have once again become possible, and over the last few months a combination of on-site and Zoom interviews has provided this issue with some interesting articles and features.

One such feature details the work of photojournalist Damien Storan, who generously shared his time (and images) in talking about life as a press photographer. You may have seen him at scenes, covering the news for various media outlets, and in this issue, he talks about the professionalism and ethics involved in capturing the real story of firefighters and paramedics responding to challenging scenarios.

It was also a pleasure to talk to Fire Captain Andrea Hall of the South Fulton, Georgia, Fire and Rescue Department in the US. Captain Hall gave the Pledge of Allegiance at the inauguration of President Joe Biden in January, representing half a million firefighters as she took to the podium. Her story is one of many firsts, and makes for a fascinating read.

I was fortunate to visit the Service Support Unit to talk about recent additions to the fleet on the day the last ever analogue call came through before the migration to the digital TETRA system was completed. Third Officer John Guilfoyle, D/O Martin Cooke, and A/C/F/O Richard Hedderman gave me a thorough overview of what was involved in integrating these new vehicles as part of the fleet replacement programme, while A/C/F/O John Moody spoke to me via Zoom about this and the change to new call signs. My thanks to all for taking the time to talk about a remarkable achievement of logistics and technological advancement.

Michael Duggan’s story of his reunion with the vintage truck Ladder 5211 featured in the spring issue is one of remarkable coincidence, and I’m sure you will enjoy reading about it too, while former DFB member Paul Rock’s story of coordinating a huge humanitarian aid project details the fantastic work he has done. Huge thanks to both of them, and to retired member Martin Williams for sharing his stories. Special thanks must also go to S/O Dave Connolly for meeting me before his shift started to talk about life on D Watch in Kilbarrack.

Elsewhere, the DFB Golf Society celebrates their 50th anniversary, the Pipe Band recounts recent events, and the rugby club looks forward to returning to the pitch.

As always, I would encourage anybody who wants to talk about any upcoming endeavours, or who has an idea for a story, to get in touch with me. This is your magazine, and you are all welcome to contribute.

I hope you enjoy the read,

38

A MESSAGE OF UNITY

South Fulton Georgia Fire Captain Andrea Hall

46

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LENS

Press Photographer Damien Storan

52

GOING GLOBAL

Former DFB member Paul Rock’s Humanitarian Work

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