Shepherdess Melissa and her team of Old Irish Goats from the Old Irish Goat Society were welcomed to the Hacketstown Training & Development Centre. These ‘working goats’ normally play a vital role in upland areas, controlling vegetation, and proactively minimising the negative impacts of wildfires.
A/Chief Fire Officer Ben Woodhouse: “Carlow County Fire & Rescue Service continue to seek new and innovative ways to work in collaboration with other parties to engage and deliver Community Fire Safety education. Today we deployed an innovative way of engaging and delivering Community Fire Safety to local communities by working in collaboration with Carlow Co Co, supporting the Council’s Green Infrastructure Strategy and urban pollinator foraging network. The goats grazed the green areas at the Training Centre while attracting schools and community groups to attend the Fire Station where our Firefighters provided fire safety messaging around smoke alarm ownership, prevention of wildland fires and general home fire safety.”
Carlow Fire & Rescue Service were delighted to welcome local schools in Hacketstown to see the goats at the Training Centre as well as community groups from across Carlow to learn about the goats and to receive Community Fire Safety education training from the Firefighters at Hacketstown Fire Station.