Funding has been approved by Government for the creation of two new fire stations for Laois towns.

Fianna Fáil Deputy Sean Fleming TD has announced the allocation of €6.3 million for the creation of new fire stations in Rathdowney and Stradbally.

€3 million has been announced for a new fire station in Rathdowney, and a further €3.3 million for Stradbally.

"This is great news that the money has now been confirmed," Deputy Fleming said in a statement to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

"I have been working closely with the Government and Laois County Council on this and it is good to see this much needed investment in our County.  

"This funding represents a significant investment in the safety, resilience and wellbeing of Rathdowney and Stradbally communities," Deputy Fleming said.

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"It ensures that the new fire stations in Rathdowney and Stradbally will have first-class facilities which will lead to an improved service in these areas.

"I am calling on all involved to progress these two projects as urgently as possible," the Deputy finished.

In addition, Laois County Council has been allocated a new €500,000 Class B fire appliance, as part of the capital funding plan for fire services nationwide. 

Fine Gael Deputy Wilie Aird also welcomed this news.

“I’m delighted to see this funding for emergency services in Stradbally and Rathdowney," Deputy Aird said.

“The funding will be used for the construction of new stations in these towns. This investment ensures our fire services will have access to the modern tools, facilities and systems they need.

“We want our firefighters to have the best facilities possible to deal with serious issues right across our communities in Laois," the Deputy said.

“Our fire and emergency services are reliable and hardworking; it is vital that they have the facilities they need to best serve the community.

“This is a major investment in the safety and resilience of our communities across Laois," Deputy Aird finished.

The funding is part of a landmark €328.5 million National Fire Services Capital Programme (2026–2030), developed by the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM), which sets out a comprehensive plan to modernise Ireland’s fire service fleet, infrastructure, training capability and communications systems to meet the evolving risks facing communities nationwide.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne TD welcomed the funding announcement for Rathdowney and Stradbally.

“This programme represents a significant investment in the safety, resilience and wellbeing of communities across Ireland, including Laois," Minister Browne said.

"It ensures our fire services will have a modern fleet, upgraded facilities and equipment required to meet the challenges they face, with a changing climate, a growing population and increasingly complex emergency risks. 

“This investment in the fire service will reinforce public safety in Laois and ensure that our critical infrastructure and essential services are protected," the Minister said.

"Having fire services that are recognised as dependable, well trained and well equipped is crucial to the communities they serve and this injection of significant funding will future proof the service they provide," he finished.

Fire services are typically the last line of defence in protecting lives, homes and businesses from a myriad of hazards.

This investment ensures they have the modern tools, facilities and systems required to meet that responsibility. The new programme responds directly to the evolving nature of fire service response and the need to protect critical national infrastructure.

The capital programme is designed to ensure Ireland’s fire services can respond effectively to:

• Increasing severe weather events,
• Wildland fires,
• industrial hazards,
• Urban growth and complex infrastructure and;
• National‑level emergencies requiring coordinated response.

The construction of a new fire station in Rathdowney has been in the pipeline for 23 years.

The existing station in Rathdowney has been described as "not fit for purpose" by local councillor and former fireman John King.

Laois County Council purchased a site for the new fire station in 2002 and Part VIII of the proposals for the development were approved in 2010.

However, the project had remained at a standstill until recently, with the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management having approved the plans to proceed with a detailed design and costings for a new two-bay fire station.

Laois County Council is tendering for an architect-led design team to provide consultancy services on the project.

In Stradbally, the old fire station on Main Street was built in 1954 and is no longer fit for purpose.

As a result, the Stradbally fire crew moved into the old civil defence building at the junction of Main Street and the R427 Abbeyleix Road in January of 2025. This will be the site of the new fire station.

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Stradbally fire station is one of the busiest in the county, responding to in excess of 100 emergency calls every year.

The plans for the new station include the demolition of the existing Civil Defence building and construction of a new two-bay fire station, fire service drill tower, associated connections to existing services and all ancillary site development works at the site. 

The plans also include a car park and car park access road, widening of the existing vehicular entrance on Cork Road for shared entrance/exit for staff cars and fire vehicles, a fire tender vehicle exit only to the N80, pedestrian access separate to vehicular entrances onto the N80, removal of the previous entrance on the N80, an underground attenuation tank and SuDS.

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The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NEFEM) finally gave the council the green light to invite tenders for the construction of the fire station in March of 2025.

The estimated value of the 12-month contract is €3,900,000.