Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS), in partnership with National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM), South West College (SWC) in Northern Ireland and Mayo Sligo Leitrim Education & Training Board (MSLETB), recently secured €2.05m in funding from the PEACEPLUS programme, which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
The NIFRS Learning & Development College in Cookstown will act as the central training hub as part of the project, providing state-of-the-art facilities for urban search and rescue (USAR), high volume pumping (HVP), multi-agency training, and large-scale simulation exercises.
NIFRS Chief Fire & Rescue Officer Aidan Jennings said: “This PEACEPLUS project will enhance the capability and resilience of fire and rescue services on both sides of the border, building upon the strong cooperation that already exists. The core of this project is about enhancing firefighter and public safety by building shared capacity to respond to emergencies and help build safer more resilient communities.
“Tragic incidents such as Cresslough, property fires, road traffic collisions and the range of other emergencies fire and rescue services respond to in border areas – together with the rising frequency of severe weather and wildfires, reinforce the need for a strategic approach and investment to joint agency interoperability.
Alex Jennings, NIFRS Chief Fire Officer
“The project embodies the spirit of the PEACEPLUS programme by fostering collaboration, understanding, and long-term resilience through shared public service. At the heart of the delivery of this project is our new Learning & Development College. It will build upon the training that is already taking place with our cross-border colleagues and will foster further opportunities for collaboration.”
Jennings thanked the Special EU Programmes Body for its investment, and he acknowledged the work of all the partners involved in securing this funding. “We look forward to the delivery of this unique initiative over the next three years and to the multiple benefits it will bring to help keep people safe long into the future.”
Northern Ireland’s Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said that the cross-border initiative demonstrates the value of partnership in protecting communities north and south. “The NIFRS Learning & Development College is a beacon of excellence – showcasing world-class training that enhances firefighter safety and public confidence across the island. Through this collaboration, we are investing in people, in training, and in the resilience of our shared communities for generations to come.”
The Director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) Keith Leonard said the partnership agreement has been the culmination of a huge amount of work between fire services in both jurisdictions.
“We look forward to the capacity and the all-island approach that this will bring for the fire services. It will mean that both fire services will operate the same processes and procedures in terms of urban search and rescue increasing the speed and efficiency of operation. For wider and more general type of emergencies, this cross-border engagement will strengthen operational integration and emergency preparedness.”
Meanwhile, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne TD, said that the project will ensure that public and firefighter safety is at the heart of planning, preparedness and response mechanisms on the island of Ireland.
“This is critical to success over the next three years; the €2.05 million in funding from PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) is an essential and timely injection of support where it is badly needed, to upskill our dedicated frontline service teams and to boost our collaboration.
“Emergencies and weather-generated issues on the ground can happen in any county at any time. This fund reflects the need to act as a team to respond.” Minister Browne concluded by thanking SEUPB and all involved in this joint agreement between the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management and the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service”
