Fire station may close
A rural area with one of the fastest growing population growths in the region may be without its local fire station within months as a crisis for its future looms.
Tipperary County Council has confirmed this week that “Newport Fire Station is in danger of closing in 2026” after decades of service to Newport and the broader areas of the region. The operational crew for the station has fallen to one third of what is required to maintain the service and all efforts to recruit for the positions with potential to earn up to €60,000 per year have failed.
A spokesperson for the council said that the situation at Newport Fire Station has been under review since 2022 and “Tipperary Fire & Rescue will have to make a decision about Newport Fire Station’s long term viability” within the coming months.
A community meeting will take place at the Community Centre, Newport on Sunday, April 26 at 6pm in conjunction with another recruitment campaign being undertaken by the county council.
Two open days at the fire station have been planned for Friday, May 8, from 6pm - 8pm and Sunday, May 10 from midday to 4pm, at which crew members will be on hand to chat about life in the fire service and the opportunities that the positions offer.
Newport attended 60 emergency call-outs, ranging from road traffic accidents to bog fires and domestic to commercial fires in 2025 in Newport and surrounding areas. The crewing level for Newport is set at 12 fire fighters, but the current level is down to just four and it has proven difficult to recruit fire fighters in the town.
National agreements and ensuring safety standards are met requires the urgent increase in staff level. “While drops below the optimum number of 12 can be accommodated short term due to illness, resignation or a retirement it must be a number that’s achievable for a community to provide and maintain into the future to guarantee the presence of a fire station,” the council outlines.
Like the vast majority of fire stations nationally, Newport Fire Station operates on a retained basis, that is all fire fighters carry alerters and attend the fire station when an emergency occurs. They must live and work as close to the station as possible but must be able to attend the fire station within eight minutes of an alert as an absolute maximum while obeying all rules of the road.
Annual earnings for a new entrant can be in the region of €35,000 - €40,000 with more senior members earning €55,000 – €60,000, all based on current activity levels.
In Tipperary they effectively only need to guarantee availability on a week on / week off ( flexible ) basis. Those on week on are deemed as being on first turnout while those on their week off are deemed as being flexible.
While fire fighters may attend as many calls as they wish, they must either attend every call on their week on or have a swap arranged with a crew member who is on their week off. They do however have to attend a two-hour training session in the fire station in evening time once per week.
Training to Level 6 QQI qualification is provided over a two-year spread for all relevant skills and requirements of the job.