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IDP Northern Ireland.

IDP Country Category – Low Level
WRO Membership Status – Level 3

Background

In 2007 Gordon Latimer was appointed IDP Project Manager to the Republic of Ireland, building on already excellent working partnerships between Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service and a number of Services in the Irish Republic, Gordon attended the Irish Chief Fire Officers’ Technical Conference in October 2007 to deliver a presentation on the structure and objectives of UKRO IDP & WRO. 

Following the presentation, expressions of interest were received from a number of Fire & Rescue Services across Ireland and this led to the inaugural meeting of Rescue Organisation Ireland (ROI) on 20th March, 2008. 

Later that year a Skills Development Day took place on 28th June in County Carlow and was attended by forty personnel from eleven Irish Fire & Rescue Services. The day included input from local ROI members, who have had experience of the Challenge Concept, and UKRO Assessors, who provided training with regards to  assessment categories.  A second skills day was held in 2008 at the ROI’s first national rescue challenge.

Next Steps

It is planned to build on past events by organising further Skills Development Days, followed by the second National Challenge in April 2009, which will provide the structure by which teams from across the Republic of Ireland can qualify for the World and other events.  In 2009 the WRO chair and Secretary will meet with the ROI committee to discuss membership of the WRO. It is hoped that the Republic of Ireland will progress to full level one membership in the coming years.

ROI assessors will also participate in the 2009 Assessor Workshops being held at the Scottish Fire Service Collage.

Meet the team

Gordon Latimer, Area Commander, Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service.
IDP Project Manager – Republic of Ireland

Over 30 years service in Northern Ireland, mainly in Belfast, Gordon is a member of the UKRO Committee and has been instrumental in UKRO becoming a signatory to the European Road Safety Charter earlier this year. Gordon was appointed UKRO IDP Project Manager to the Republic of Ireland in 2007. Further information on ‘Rescue Organisation Ireland’ can be obtained from Gordon Latimer