Ballinasloe Civil Defence

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Ballinasloe Civil Defence

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Ballinasloe Civil Defence is a volunteer based organization that supports the front line emergency services. We also assist in our local community.

Civil Defence is a volunteer based organization that supports the front line emergency services. We also assist our local communities. Civil Defence has 4,500 volunteer members throughout Ireland. We have volunteers trained in each of the following services:

Casualty
Search and Rescue
Water & Flood Response
Welfare
Communications

We support the frontline emergency services in dealing with severe weather, flooding, major accidents, fire fighting and searching for missing people. Civil Defence supports hundreds of community events throughout the year. These include large events such as air shows, tall ships, concerts and festivals, sports events. We also support smaller local events such as parades. Civil Defence operates under legislation that includes the Air Raid Precautions Act 1939/1946, Local Government Acts of 1941 to 2001, various Statutory Instruments and the Civil Defence Act 2002/2012. Under the Civil Defence Act 2002 a State Authority known as the Civil Defence Board was established to manage and develop Civil Defence at national level. On 1st January 2013 the Civil Defence Board was dissolved in accordance with the Civil Defence Act 2012. The functions rested in the Civil Defence Board have been transferred back to the Minister for Defence.

13/10/2026

We want to congratulate one of our crew Jamie Ward who recently hung up his fire jacket for pastures new!

As jamie is also a volunteer with Galway Civil Defence and the Fire and Rescue Galway we have always had a close working team attending calls as required.

Jamie will be a big loss to the fire service but isnt traveling far!

Good luck jamie in your new venture from our crew in Ballinasloe Civil Defence!

14/09/2026

It’s been a busy few months for our members here in Ballinasloe Civil Defence!

Covering various events such as the Annual St Luke’s Bike Rally, Mid-Summer Multicultural Festival, Galway Arts Festival, to name but a few.

Members also had the opportunity to meet President Michael D. Higgins at the Portumna Famine Commemoration, as well as President Catherine Connolly at the Galway Inclusion Games.

Alongside our duties, our weekly Friday night training sessions have continued, covering various topics including medical, search and rescue, water awareness and boat training. Some members also took part in additional training days, including Cycling Responder and Evacuation centre Training.

Our next few training sessions will be focused on preparation for the upcoming annual Ballinasloe Horse Fair, with members providing first aid cover throughout the event.

17/03/2026

Another St. Patrick’s Day parade done and dusted for our unit, and once again the turnout from members — and their families — was brilliant.

As always, we rolled out the fleet and put on a good show… including our brand-new boat, which made its parade debut. Safe to say it got plenty of attention along the route. 🚤

It was a great community event, plenty of laughs, plenty of green, and a good reminder that behind the scenes it’s all volunteers who make these things happen.

Thanks to everyone who took part, helped organise, marched, drove, waved, and supported on the day.

Until the next call-out… or the next parade.

24/02/2026

Press Release Dated: 24th February 2025

Galway Civil Defence joined our colleagues from Limerick Civil Defence, Tipperary Civil Defence, Clare Civil Defence, Irish Red Cross, Order of Malta Ambulance Corps, Irish Coast Guard and the Irish Defence Forces for an Appreciation Evening hosted by the HSE Mid West Regional Executive Officer, Ms. Sandra Broderick. The event took place on Monday, 23rd February at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ennis Road, Limerick.

The evening recognised the vital contribution of all Voluntary Emergency Services in supporting Principal Response Agencies—particularly the HSE—during the Severe Weather Events of January 2025. Each organisation was presented with a commemorative plaque in acknowledgement of outstanding commitment and service to the safety and well-being of communities across the region.

Galway Civil Defence extends its thanks to the HSE Mid West, our voluntary service partners, and all volunteers whose dedication made a real difference during the January severe weather events. We look forward to continuing our collaboration and readiness for any future emergencies.

www.galwaycivildefence.com

Photo from Clare Herald
Clare Civil Defence Galway Civil Defence

19/02/2026

Search operations can be a big train on an already limited number of resources for state agencies such as An Garda Síochana.

This is where Civil Defence can step in with a wide range of assistance to the Primary Response Agencies.

When tasked by the Gardai, RNLI or IRCG we can deploy Search Teams 🔎, Drones 🚁, Boats 🚤, Side scan Sonar 🦈, and Online mapping 🗺️ at short notice.

As the call out evolves we can expand our response by utilising other Civil Defence units and counties. We have an incredible working relationship with Clare Civil Defence and Mayo Civil Defence who never fail to answer the call 🚨

07/01/2026

🚴‍♂️❄️ National Cyclocross Weekend – Safety Cover Complete ❄️🚴‍♀️

Ballinasloe Civil Defence was delighted to provide safety cover for the National Cyclocross Event held on Saturday evening and Sunday.

Riders from across the country took on a demanding course, with fast racing, tough conditions, and plenty of action throughout the weekend. The cold weather certainly added to the challenge — for competitors and volunteers alike — but spirits stayed high all round.

A big thank you to our Civil Defence volunteers who gave their time and support over the weekend, and to the event organisers Ballinasloe Cycling Club for a very well-run and professionally organised event. It was a pleasure to be involved.

Great racing, great atmosphere, and a credit to everyone involved 👏

Ballinasloe Credit Union

03/01/2026

Last night at 17:45, Galway Civil Defence was activated by An Garda Síochána to assist in a missing person search in the portumna area.

Our volunteer teams responded at short notice and worked alongside Search and Rescue Dog Association (Ireland) , Clare Civil Defence and An Garda Síochána Galway throughout the evening.

Sadly, the person was located deceased at approximately 20:30.
Our thoughts are with the family, friends, and all those affected at this difficult time. RIP.

Sincere thanks to our Civil Defence volunteers who gave their time and support at short notice, and to the emergency services involved in the operation.

An Garda Síochána
Galway Civil Defence
Clare Civil Defence
Search and Rescue Dog Association (Ireland)

29/11/2025

✨ Supporting the Turning On of the Ballinasloe Christmas Lights ✨

A fantastic evening for Ballinasloe Civil Defence as our volunteers were out providing event safety cover for the annual Christmas Lights Switch-On in the town centre.

The atmosphere was brilliant, with big crowds turning out to kick off the festive season — and the Festive Tractor Run added even more colour and Christmas spirit to the night. 🚜🎄

Our members were on-site throughout, offering first aid cover and keeping a watchful eye to ensure everyone enjoyed the celebrations safely.

A huge thank you to all our volunteers who gave their time this evening, and well done to the organisers for another great community event.

Ballinasloe is officially glowing for Christmas! ⭐

Galway Civil Defence

23/11/2025

🚤 Maiden Voyage Alert!

If you were around Shannonbridge this afternoon, you may have caught a glimpse of Ballinasloe Civil Defence taking our brand-new SRK 525 from Inland Inflatables out on its first run!

This craft is a serious boost to our water-operations capability — a robust, rescue-ready RIB built for fast response, shallow water access, and challenging river conditions. Exactly what we need for the Shannon and surrounding areas.

Today was about familiarisation, training and making sure the team is fully confident with the new boat. The SRK 525 handled beautifully — stable, responsive, and clearly built for the type of work we do.

This addition strengthens our ability to support the community when it matters most.

More training days and updates to come. Stay safe on the water. 🌊

Keep an eye on updates as we will be doing an offical launch soon!

Address

Firestation
Ballinasloe
EIRE

Opening Hours

8pm - 10pm

Website

http://www.civildefence.ie/

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