Galway County Council has signed a €3.4 million contract with Burns Construction & Civil Engineering Ltd. for the construction of a new fire station in Loughrea, Co. Galway, as reported by the Irish Independent. Works are expected to commence within the coming weeks, with a construction programme of approximately 15 months.

The contract was signed at Áras an Chontae in the presence of Minister of State for Transport Seán Canney, Galway County Council officials, project designer Brian Fahy, and quantity surveyor Brian Cassidy. The new single-storey station will be located on the Athenry Road and will replace Loughrea's existing fire station, which has been in service for more than 50 years and no longer meets modern operational requirements.

The new facility will include a two-bay appliance hall, training and lecture rooms, a workshop, welfare facilities, specialist equipment storage, a drill yard and a training tower. It has been designed to achieve an A energy rating through the use of an air source heat pump, high levels of insulation and additional energy-efficient measures, aligning with current public sector building performance standards.

Gerry O'Malley, chief fire officer of Galway County Fire and Rescue Service, said the existing station no longer met modern operational requirements and highlighted the collaboration required to bring the project to construction stage, thanking Council officials, Fire Service colleagues, elected members and everyone involved in progressing the development.

Liam Conneally, chief executive of Galway County Council, said the new fire station was a major investment in Loughrea and would provide a modern facility that was urgently needed, adding that the project reflected significant collaboration between elected members, Council officials and all those involved in advancing the development.

The Loughrea project forms part of a wider €16.4 million fire service infrastructure investment across Galway, which also includes €13 million allocated for a new fire station in Galway City to replace the existing Claddagh station, built in 1956. Both projects are funded under the national Fire Services Capital Programme 2026-2030, which commits €178.6 million to building or refurbishing 39 fire stations across Ireland. The national programme also covers €86.9 million for a new fire fleet, €29.5 million for national training infrastructure and €23 million in specialist response equipment.