ALMOST half a century of service to the Galway Fire Brigade came to an end earlier this month when Claddagh native, Frankie Dolan, hung up his helmet for the last time.

The third generation of the family to serve with the Galway Fire Brigade, he joined the ranks in 1977, and since then he has seen the service expand, embracing new roles along the way.

“When I started first, it was mainly a matter of dealing with house fires but now that’s just part of the job. From floods, storms, water rescues and car accidents, along with the other emergency services we really are the first responders,” Frankie Dolan told the Connacht Tribune.

Probably the most stressful part of the job over the years has been in dealing with car accidents where passengers with critical injuries have to be cut free and time is of the essence.

“You might have paramedics saying that we need to get this person out of the vehicle as quickly as possible – that probably was the most stressful part of the job, but it could also be the most satisfying too, if you were involved in saving a life,” said Frankie Dolan.

The location of the fire station in the heart of the Claddagh has also been instrumental in Galway Fire Brigade members being able to respond at very short notice to ‘water rescue incidents’ . . . sometimes accidental falls and others suicide attempts.

“We’ve been involved in many successful rescues down through the years and sometimes it’s just so rewarding when you look across the street and see someone that was rescued a few weeks before, back to normal. In the first year of Covid [2020], when most places were closed ,we had an exceptionally busy period with water rescues,” said Frankie.

Some of the big fires he can recall were the Carpet and Curtain Centre in Forster Street; the Sacre Coeur in Salthill; more recently the blaze at the Golf Style shop in Liosbán; and probably the biggest of all, the fire at the Digital Computer Plant at Mervue in August, 1978.

He has a particular memory of that Digital fire when a young photographer by the name of Joe O’Shaughnessy, was one of the first at the scene, making his way to the roof of the burning building.

“It’s probably something you wouldn’t see now – a photographer getting that close to the action – but ever since then, I’ve had a great relationship with Joe who has taken some memorable pictures down through the decades,” said Frankie Dolan.

From fires to potential drownings to horrific road collisions, lifesaving is now a major part of the firefighter’s vocation, trained in Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation [CPR] and equipped with defibrillators as part of their standard equipment.

Over the years, Frankie Dolan, who now lives in Knocknacarra, has really enjoyed giving training courses to new personnel starting out on the job. “It really is amazing to see what they can learn in that first three-week training course,” he said.

It can safely be said that the Fire Brigade vocation was in the Dolan genes. His grandfather, also Frank, was one of the first drivers with the Galway service back in the 1920s; Frankie’s father, Jim, on returning from World War II took over the driving job, working alongside his five brothers [Sonny, Nicko, Joe, George and Brod] in the service; and now Frankie’s son, Gerry is a fireman down in Cork – generation four in the Fire Brigade.

As to the future, on a personal level, Frankie Dolan is looking forward to two of his great hobbies – as a basketball referee and as a match delegate with the FAI, while he’d love to see a new fire station HQ in the city area.

“The Fire Brigade has been my life. I was born in the station back in 1960; when my father passed away in 1977 I had made up my mind that I wanted to do the same job; and while the work can be very stressful at times, it was always going to be what I wanted to do . . . and I’ve enjoyed it over the years,” said Frankie Dolan.

Pictured: Proud family…Frankie Dolan on his final day at Galway Fire Station with (from left) granddaughter Millie, daughter-in-law Ciara, son Gerard, who is with Cork Fire Brigade, Frankie’s wife Marie and son Jimmy. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.