Civil Defence look forward to move to new premises

The Civil Defence organisation in Westmeath has received the keys of the building purchased as its headquarters.

But reveals the county’s Civil Defence chief, Brian Gillen, the move into the new premises, located at Lough Sheever Park, won’t happen straight away.

“We got the keys around the end of November, but it has to be prepared for use before we move in, so we’re looking at what way to have it laid out,” Mr Gillen said.

Civil Defence is delighted with the building, which is located close to the Dunne and Nugent store at Lough Sheever.

“It means we can have everything in the one place for the first time in a long time,” he says.

Previously, the organisation was operating out of a building in Cullionbeg which was in poor condition and not ideally suited for the organisation’s needs, and Brian has paid tribute to the council for making the investment.

Civil Defence acts as a back-up to the primary response agencies, and its members are trained in first aid, marshalling and other such duties. “We work in community support,” explains Brian. “We have about 60 active members, and a lot of other people who aren’t actively involved but whom we can call upon.

“We have been recruiting – but quietly. We have taken in some new members every year, but the way it was, we had no place for them, so this is a great step forward.”

The organisation’s training needs are ongoing: “People have to have a certain level of training before you can even put them in uniform,” says Brian, adding that most of that training is done by volunteers, although for many of the skills in which members receive training, certification is done by external agencies.

At present, Civil Defence is operating out of the county council’s offices in Mullingar town centre.