'I joined Dublin Fire Brigade for a shift and it was pure chaos'
In the busy run-up to Halloween, the Irish Mirror joined Dublin Fire Brigade Station Officer Trevor Hunt and Firefighter/Paramedic Stephen Cleary to get a glimpse of what it's like to battle blazes.
Each night, around 180 firefighters report for duty at one of 14 stations across the capital. The night shift begins at 6 pm, and they will respond to blazes and medical emergencies anywhere in Dublin until 9 am the following morning.
In the busy run-up to Halloween, the Irish Mirror joined Dublin Fire Brigade Station Officer Trevor Hunt and Firefighter/Paramedic Stephen Cleary to get a glimpse of what it's like to battle blazes.
Shortly after our arrival, we were taken to new heights after going 42 metres up in the air on one of Dublin Fire Brigade's turntable ladders.
The capital's fire service has two of these, which are becoming increasingly instrumental as high-rise buildings start to crowd the Dublin skyline.
Later on, as the sun began to set on Tuesday evening and the downpours began to ease, there was a scattering of activity on the radio.
The control room had received a report about a derelict wooden cabin that had caught fire in Brittas in South County Dublin.
Firefighter/Paramedic Stephen Cleary activated his blue lights and meticulously zig-zagged through the gridlocked rush-hour Dublin traffic.
Two fire engines from Tallaght, one from Nutgrove, and a District Officer from Dolphin's Barn were also in attendance, while we followed behind in a Dublin Fire Brigade SUV.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatuses fought the flames, and the fire was quickly brought under control.
They also used a thermal imaging camera to check if any embers had been missed. It wasn't long before we were back on blue lights and heading towards Santry after a derelict house went up in flames.
Thick black plumes of smoke billowed into the night sky. Neighbours wearing housecoats began to gather on the street.
Luminous blue lights from the nearby fire trucks illuminated their concerned faces as they chatted with one another while firefighters battled the fire.
A total of three trucks responded from North Strand and Kilbarrack stations.
Crews were initially fighting the fire "defensively" as flames were spotted coming through the window.
Those who responded had two main concerns: getting the blaze under control and ensuring the fire didn't spread to the derelict property next door.
As one team battled the active fire, another broke down the door of the derelict neighbouring house.
Once the flames began to die down, crews switched tactics. Officers wearing breathing apparatuses and carrying compressed air entered to fight the remaining inferno "offensively."
They also entered the neighbouring derelict property and noted smoke was found. Other crew members circled the house to make sure there were no other fires. Once they were satisfied, they used a thermal camera to make sure everything was quelled.
On the way back to Dublin Fire Brigade's HQ on Tara Street, a call came over the radio that a man had been struck by a car on Townsend Street. One crew temporarily shut down the road while the other worked on the pedestrian.
Shortly after, he was whisked to the hospital. Thankfully, his injuries are not believed to have been life-threatening.
After returning to Tara Street, two members of the crew had prepared dinner for the rest of the firefighters. An Indian chicken curry was on the menu.
There are no set break times. Firefighters must try to eat, continue their learning, and attend to their duties, which include cleaning in between emergencies.
One thing they are sure about is that when the bell sounds, there's no time for dilly-dallying.
Sitting around the table, we noticed a number of dinner plates were wrapped in tin foil. We're told that they belong to firefighters who began eating and needed to leave halfway through their dinner.
They might be mid-conversation, about to tell the punchline to a joke, or their fork is millimeters away from hitting the plate - it doesn't matter. Once the bell sounds, regardless of what they're doing, they're stand up and head towards the truck.
They immediately look to the various screens positioned around the firehouse to get details of the callout.
Then, just like in the movies, they slide down a pole, put their fire suit on, and they're on the road within 90 seconds of the bell going off at night.
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