CONTINUING TO SERVE

CONTINUING

TO SERVE Despite restrictions, DFB and other frontline services were able to mark the day thanking them for their protection

NNational Services Day was once again a muted affair this year, with the ongoing pandemic meaning frontline organisations, without the chance to parade in front of the public, sought different ways to display their resilience and unwavering service to the people of Dublin and Ireland.

Dublin Fire Brigade held a Parade of Light Dublin City Drive on Saturday, 4 September, starting at 5.15am and taking the procession from Cunningham Road through the city centre to Dublin Castle. Given the early hour, no sirens were used, with flashing lights and dipped headlights guiding the way.

A commemoration service was also held at Collins Barracks later that day, with CFO Dennis Keeley joining the heads of all frontline organisations, guest speakers, the Lord Mayor of Dublin Alison Gilliland, and members of the DFB Pipe Band to honour the work of the emergency services and lay a wreath in remembrance of all those who have passed away because of COVID-19.

Speaking ahead of the ceremony, he praised the work of DFB members and all other frontline organisations, and outlined the determination to put more people into service to help the public, saying: “We are extremely careful with our staff and taking all precautions to make sure they and the public are kept safe. With the advent of COVID-19, we felt it would be important to have a level of resilience and the numbers, so we brought forward the recruitment campaign that has of course brought its own challenges in terms of trying to deliver training with the level of health restrictions that would be required, but we had unprecedented use of space and pods, so a whole new training programme was adopted.

“Training staff and the recruits themselves have been very cooperative and understanding of the need for these restrictions and different methods of teaching, but training still takes place, albeit restricted, even multiagency, and cooperation and interaction between the agencies has never been so good.”

Frontline emergency services gather with Lord Mayor Alison Gilliland to praise their ongoing efforts to keep the city and country safe