Marking 75 years of Civil Defence in Ireland, President Michael D. Higgins hosted officers and volunteers from Civil Defence units nationwide at Áras an Uachtaráin in May and paid tribute to decades of service by volunteers.
“Whether it be through its service in medical rescue, search and rescue, emergency response, radiation monitoring, or community assistance, the Civil Defence volunteers have shown, time and again, their dedication and response capability in support of the primary emergency services and their local communities,” President Higgins noted. He commended all members, past and present, for this work and for their spirit of volunteerism, giving back to their local community and indeed to wider society.
President Michael D. Higgins welcomes Civil Defence officer and volunteers to the Áras to mark the organisation’s 75th landmark anniversary in Ireland.
The Civil Defence, organised on a local authority basis across the State, was first established by the Government in December 1950, in preparation for a potential nuclear war which was then seen as distinctly possible. At that time, the emphasis was on war response, including search and rescue, medical first aid, and welfare through rest centres.
The modern Civil Defence has evolved into a professionalised volunteer service, specialising in the use of drones and thermal cameras for search and rescue, and operating a modern fleet of response vehicles and boats. The organisation supports the Principal Response Agencies in a variety of emergency and non-emergency duties, including medical response and extreme weather response.
Across the country, Civil Defence supports more than 3,000 duties every year. Many of the non-emergency response duties are in support of local communities. To ensure it can continue to serve local communities, Civil Defence needs volunteers from all communities and is actively recruiting across the country for a range of skillsets. This will be the first of several events to commemorate this anniversary and to recognise the commitment of volunteers over the years.
