Carlow County Fire & Rescue Service

02/10/2026

🎙 KCLR RADIO INTERVIEW

At the launch of our latest ECO Class Fire Appliance KCLR took a momemt to speak to our A/CFO about D/M Frankie Whelan's upcoming retirement.

📻 Listen in the link below to what our Chief had to say about Frankie.

https://kclr96fm.com/carlow-fire-service-honours-retiring-driver-mechanic-frankie-whelan/?fbclid=IwVERDUAUsxS1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mAXNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHvLAnFXYQty9UTlXCkKHqkKR7kbCjkJhwmCGFCnXPtmzpZQW-ptF65EARuu5_aem_EQOoIae1fP28Imi6Q9RAQA

A special function was held at Hacketstown Fire Station to mark the forthcoming retirement of one of its longest serving staff members.

01/10/2026

🚒 THE GREEN SISTERS 💚

Today we got a rare opportunity to take some pictures of both our ECO Class Fire Appliances, Carlow Towns CW11A1 a 2024 ECO Class Fire Appliance and our brand new Bagenalstown CW12A1 a 2026 ECO Class Fire Appliance.

We had the opportunity to take these photos before the Bagnealstown new CW12A1 goes operational. Over the next few days our Bagenalstown drivers will receive Scania handover and HPMP Fire Ltd vehicle familiarisation.

We also brought out our first motorised Fire Engine the IC2000 for a photo to show how far Fire Appliance design and build has evolved over the years.

Carlow County Council KCLR96FM Carlow Nationalist Fire Safety Ireland

01/10/2026

📸 Some more photos of D/M Frankie Whelan and presentations made to him last night by HQ, Hacketstosn, Carlow, Tullow and Bagenalstown fire stations

Well done Frankie 👏

30/09/2026

👨‍🚒 D/M FRANKIE WHELAN

Tonight a packed lecture room at the Fire Services Learning & Development Centre Hacketstown we wished a fond farewell to D/M Frankie Whelan following 28 years of dedicated service both in his role as a Firefighter, Driver Mechanic and as a Course Assistant.

The attendance of both retired and serving members from Carlow, Wicklow, Wexford and Kilkenny Fire Services along with the Irish Air Corps is testament to the person Frankie and the high regard he is held This in addition to well wishes by email and previous presentations by trainers from across the Country over the past few weeks.

Frankie has served 28 yrs at the Hacketstown fire station and is well known for his pride, passion, commitment and dedication to his role and maintained his fleet and equipment to an exceptional standard.

Frankie has served as a Course Assistant at the training centre for 20 years and is hugely respected and appreciated for the support he has given to both trainers and learners.

He has also had an impact on 1000's of learners from across the Country who have passed through our training centre.

We thank Frankie for his service, he will be missed and we wish him well in retirement. He has left a legacy for others to follow and aspire to achieve.

Thanks also to Frankie's wife and sons for their support of Frankie over the 28 years of service.

Frankie finishes October 9th 2026 where he will serve his last day course assisting a QQI Firefighting Skills course.

Carlow County Council KCLR96FM Carlow Nationalist Fire Safety Ireland

29/09/2026

🚒 NEW BAGENALSTOWN FIRE APPLIANCE 🚒

Today we launched our newest and latest Fire Appliance which will be joining our fleet and replacing our oldest Alpha 1 Fire Appliance, a 2008 heavy diesel vehicle having responded to and served the communities and townlands of Bagenalstown and south Carlow for 18 years.

Our latest edition becomes our 2nd ECO Class Fire Appliance built by HPMP Fire Ltd , Tullow in partnership with Acetech Global, Tullamore. Noel Howard from HPMP handed over the keys to Carlow County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr. Tommy Kinsella in the company of Carlow County Councils DoS Padraig O'Gorman, our A/CFO Ben Woodhouse and Bagenalstown Station Officer, Brendan Ryder.

This new ECO Class Fire Appliance combines the latest cutting edge Fire Appliance design and technology with sustainability and a focus on reducing the impact from the vehicle on the environment while improving local air quality without compromise of performance and crew safety.

Some of the features include:

🚒 Fuelled solely by HVO instead of diesel
🚒 Solar panels & battery so the vehicle can shut down at incidents while still powering all electronic safety and communication systems and charging our battery operated equipment
🚒 Carbon composite body and water tank
🚒 Vehicle & driver monitoring and management systems to improve performance
🚒 Digital alerting system to alert other road users of our presence

We were also joined at the launch by Muinebheag Elected Members, Bagenalstown crew members, Senior Fire Service Management & Administration teams, Civil Defence members, colleagues from our Environment Section and Father Shem who carried out a blessing of the vehicle.

We are proud and excited to launch our 2nd ECO Class Fire Appliance to simultaneously protect our people and planet while responding to extinguish fires, carry out rescues and save lives sustainably.

Best of luck to the Bagenalstown Fire Station crew as the new Fire Appliance goes operational over the coming days.

KCLR96FM Carlow Nationalist Fire Safety Ireland An Garda Síochána Carlow

22/09/2026

🎬 CCFRS HERITAGE VIDEO LAUNCH 🚒

Today Cathaoirleach Cllr. Thomas Kinsella launched a heritage video about the Carlow County Fire & Rescue Service at Carlow Fire Station.

👀 watch the video on the link below:

https://youtu.be/IlI5UgE-eBI?si=VWrqEZgjW_RQOWB8

A/CFO Ben Woodhouse; ‘Carlow County Fire & Rescue Service are a very progressive Fire Authority with a strategic vision of future challenges facing a Fire & Rescue Service and how to meet those challenges. With an innovative approach keen to harness technology we have recently developed the first ECO Class Fire Appliance, Digital Alerting of other road users, Thermal Imaging Drones, an All Terrain Wildland Firefighting Vehicle and developments to manage contamination at the Fire Services Learning & Development Centre, Hacketstown.

I am very proud to lead this Fire Authority and it is important to me to acknowledge and recognise out staff, both current and past who have all contributed to the foundation and legacy of a leading Fire Authority in Ireland for which this heritage video encompasses.’

Carlow Nationalist Carlow County Council KCLR96FM Fire Safety Ireland
An Garda Síochána Carlow

19/09/2026

👨‍🚒 DM AIDEN OWENS

Last night at Carlow County Fire & Rescue HQ Carlow Fire Station we bid farewell to DM Aiden Owens.

Crew members from Carlow, Hacketstown and Bagenalstown joined Senior Officers and members of Aidens family and friends to mark the occasion.

Aiden joined Carlow Fire Station as a firefighter in 2008 and served 18 years. Aiden was promoted to a DM and was one of the first DMs to drive and operate Irelands very first ECO Class Fire Appliance.

A number of presentations were made to Aiden along with well wishes as he has now joined our neighbouring collegues in Kildare Fire Service upon being promoted to an ACFO.

Thanks for your service to the communities of Carlow, our County and best of luck with your new career Aiden.

Carlow County Council Kildare Fire Service

19/09/2026

👏 GREAT FEEDBACK 👨‍🚒

It was lovely to receive some great feedback from a student who has just completed a course at the Fire Services Learning & Development Centre, Hacketstown.

We are very proud of our Training Centre and all the staff behind the scenes who take such pride and put in huge effort to keep it to the highest standard ensuring our visitors have the best experience.

Well done Team Hacketstown, our own instructors and guest instructors.

We have many more developments coming, watch this space 👀

18/09/2026

🔥 QQI USING BA CFB

And congratulations to learners from Galway, Clare, Waterford and Meath who this week completed the QQI accredited Using Breathing Apparatus Compartment Fire Behaviour Course at the Fire Services Learning & Development Centre Hacketstown.

The end of a busy week as we delivered this course alongside a QQI Using BA course at our Learning & Development Centre.

Thanks to the trainers and our course assistants for delivering the course.

18/09/2026

👨‍🚒 QQI USING BA COURSE

Congratulations to learners from Carlow, Monaghan, Wicklow, Tipperary, Louth & Longford who today completed the 2 week QQI accredited Using Breathing Apparatus Course at the Fire Services Learning & Development Centre, Hacketstown.

Our Learning & Development Centre reopened after the summer break on the 7th Sept delivering this course alongside a QQI accredited Using BA CFB course.

Thank you to the trainers and our course assistants delivering the course.