Firefighter Attacks Cloud Good News Day For Minister

On the same week that firefighters in Strabane revealed they were being 'verbally abused' and spat at by late night revellers waiting for taxis outside their station, the Minister responsible for the service has been busy underlining further investments elsewhere.

While the Strabane firemen are even considering new security measures as they are having trouble entering their own station to answer calls, NI Executive Minister for Public Safety Michael McGimpsey, has been busy at another rural fire station.

However, their concerns will make interesting reading for the Minister, who was visited the site of the new £2.6 million Armagh Fire Station and Community Fire Safety Centre on the same day as the Strabane problems were revealed.

More positively, he was told that work began on the new state-of-the-art station - at Loughgall Road close to the city centre - in February 2008 and that it is anticipated the building will be complete and the station operational in early 2009.

Mr McGimpsey said this week that the new building will provide the dedicated firefighters with a truly modern and integrated Fire Station and Community Fire Safety Centre.

The Minister said: "As part of the final Executive budget announced earlier this year, the Fire and Rescue Service in Northern Ireland is to benefit from a significant £50 million investment in fire appliances, rapid response vehicles, fire stations and up-to-date IT systems, and this new station in Armagh is just one of the many projects being taken forward in that infrastructure development programme."

(VB/JM)(BMcC)