Time For Talking Is Over in Bray Fire Service Issue.

It is time to stop talking about introducing a full time fire service in Bray and get down to some action in providing it. I can recall local politicians calling for a full time fire crew in Bray a quarter of a century ago.

At that time the famous International Hotel was gutted by fire and there were feelings at the time that the building could have been saved if a full time fire service was in operation in the town. Then there was a Christmas morning tragedy in a house not far from where the mother and son lost their lives last Sunday. Another call for a full time service.

There may have been very valid reasons in those times for not introducing such a service. Population size may not have met the criteria involved in setting up such a service in Bray.

However, now with the increase in population and the huge amount of industrial development in the town there is surely a bigger case than ever for a full time service.

Every second is vital in reaching a major fire. It literally is a matter of life or death. It took the fire crew seven minutes to reach the burning house on Sunday morning. Even though you could walk from the fire station to the nearby Oldcourt Avenue estate in less than seven minutes, the firemen did very well considering that they have to be called from their homes, assemble and then proceed to the fire.

A full time crew would have been there in less than three minutes. Four minutes is a very long time to leave a fire at large.