A special function was held at Hacketstown Fire Station last night to mark the forthcoming retirement of one of its longest serving staff members.
Firefighter and Driver Mechanic (DM) Frankie Whelan, who has been based in Hacketstown for 28 years, will formally retire from Carlow’s County Fire Rescue Service on October 9th.
Speaking ahead of last night’s function, Carlow’s Acting Chief Fire Officer Ben Woodhouse spoke to KCLR News about Frankie’s retirement and his decades of dedication to the service.
“Currently, the mandatory retirement age for retained fire fighters is 62 years of age and Frankie is reaching that point in time,” Ben commented. “He’s a phenomenal fire fighter and driver mechanic and he’s a role model to many of us…
“He is super diligent; he really is a model of a fire fighter and a public servant. He’s very proud of his role as we are of him and what he has contributed not only to the Fire Station in Hacketstown but Frankie would have been there when the first concept of a Fire Training Centre (in Hacketstown) was developed over 20 years ago. And he has assisted, observed and supported the development through to what it is today: which is one of, if not the busiest fire service and learning development centres in the whole of Ireland.”
