THE Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) will receive the Freedom of the Borough at a formal ceremony on Saturday.
In recognition of receiving the award – the highest honour bestowed by Ards and North Down Council, NIFRS is holding a fun afternoon of activities and displays at the City Hall in Bangor on Saturday from 3pm to 5pm.
The event will be attended by the Chief Fire and Rescue Officer, Aidan Jennings, together with firefighters from stations across the borough and will be officiated by the Mayor of Ards and North Down, Alistair Cathcart.
It is only the fourth time the Freedom of the Borough has been awarded since the council was established in 2015, and only the 37th occasion since the first conferral in the area, 94 years ago in 1930.
“I am delighted that we are awarding the Freedom of the Borough to NIFRS,” said Mr Cathcart.
“We are fortunate to have seven fire stations based in Ards and North Down, manned by over 100 whole time or on-call firefighters. We know that bestowing this honour on the service will bring great personal pride to many local families.
“We owe a great debt of gratitude to all those who serve and we hope this accolade goes some way to recognising the bravery, dedication and sacrifice of Firefighters both locally and across Northern Ireland,” he added.
Assistant Chief Fire and Rescue Officer, Mark Deeney, said: “We are honoured to accept the prestigious Freedom of the Borough from Ards and North Down Borough Council as recognition of our contribution to the local community.
The afternoon display and activities are part of a public event allowing local firefighters to engage with local people in a fun and relaxed environment. There will be specialist equipment on display and live demonstration of firefighting skills. There will also be some opportunities for visitors to try firefighting activities for themselves.
As part of the afternoon session, the council is putting a special call out to local Scout groups who can earn their fire safety badge if they attend. Scout groups can come as a collective, or individual Scouts are very welcome. All will be assisted to complete their badge on the day.
For more information, visit www.ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk/NIFRS.
