Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS), in partnership with the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM), South West College (SWC) and the Mayo Sligo Leitrim Education & Training Board (MSLETB), has secured more than €2m in funding from the PEACEPLUS programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
The funding will support a major cross-border initiative designed to strengthen emergency preparedness, mutual aid, and interoperability between fire and rescue services in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Known as the TACTICS Project — Training Across Communities for Tactical Interoperability for Cross-Border Safety — the investment aims to enhance collaboration in emergency response and build community resilience, particularly in border regions. The project will bring together firefighters and emergency personnel from both jurisdictions for shared training, joint exercises, and specialist development programmes.
The NIFRS Learning & Development College in Cookstown will serve as the central training hub, offering state-of-the-art facilities for urban search and rescue (USAR), high-volume pumping (HVP), multi-agency coordination, and large-scale simulation exercises.
NIFRS Chief Fire & Rescue Officer Aidan Jennings said the project represented a significant step forward in strengthening public safety and operational cooperation.
“This PEACEPLUS project will enhance the capability and resilience of fire and rescue services on both sides of the border, building upon the strong cooperation that already exists,” he said. “The core of this project is about enhancing firefighter and public safety by building shared capacity to respond to emergencies and help build safer, more resilient communities.”
He added that incidents such as Creeslough, road traffic collisions, property fires, and the increasing frequency of severe weather and wildfires highlight the need for a coordinated approach to emergency response.
“The project embodies the spirit of the PEACEPLUS programme by fostering collaboration, understanding, and long-term resilience through shared public service,” Jennings continued. “At the heart of its delivery is our new Learning & Development College, which will build upon the training already taking place with our cross-border colleagues and foster further opportunities for collaboration.”
Jennings expressed his thanks to the SEUPB for its investment and acknowledged the efforts of all partners involved in securing the funding.
“We look forward to the delivery of this unique initiative over the next three years and to the multiple benefits it will bring to help keep people safe long into the future,” he said.
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