merrion street

The pilot phase of the “BFireSafe@School Programme” was launched today (30 August 2019)  by Mr. Eoghan Murphy, TD, Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government at the Custom House, Dublin. The Minister was delighted to launch and support this very worthwhile project to increase fire safety education among post primary students. The project complements the primary school “Safety Team” fire education programme run by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government in conjunction with fire services nationwide. This new post primary project will also involve local fire services in the education process.

This Erasmus+ funded project has been led by Mr Finian Joyce, Chief Fire Officer, Leitrim Fire and Rescue Service. He has assembled a core team drawn from the Irish Fire and Rescue Services, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, and the Irish Education System to produce a new fire safety education programme that will be pilot tested initially in post-primary schools in Ireland. 

Pupils studying within the Junior cycle, Transition Year, Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme and Leaving Cert Applied programmes, from 16 schools in Ireland, will be given the opportunity to learn about protecting themselves, their families and communities from fire. The project will also provide learning opportunities in fire science and potential careers in the fire service and other related industries. It is anticipated that, following this pilot run during the academic year 2019/20, the programme will be rolled out nationally and made available to all post-primary schools. 

Mr. Joyce has formed a consortium of European partners, drawn from fire services and education development partners in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania and Spain to deliver the project at European level following the pilot. This collaborative approach has contributed to the development of this innovative education package and, following the pilot programme’s roll-out in Ireland, it will be adapted and translated for use amongst post-primary students in Europe.