€3m training facility opens in Little Island

Cutting-edge firefighter robot training will be one of many courses taking place in a new €3 million facility which was opened in Little Island this week.

The state-of-the-art 11,000 sq ft Safety Training and Research & Development facility provide the most advanced fire and safety course to tackle complex fire and life safety challenges. This includes fire risks posed by lithium-ion batteries in many technologies including but not limited to e-bikes and e-scooters.

EHS International says it is the first environmental, health and safety (EHS) training centre in Ireland offering their comprehensive suite of solutions, along with R&D, in this area. Spearheaded by founder and CEO Chris Mee, he said: “As e-scooters and e-bikes become more popular, the fire hazards from compromised lithium-ion batteries are rapidly increasing. The occurrence of these fires is growing rapidly worldwide with a 46% increase in recorded fires in the UK from 2022 to 2023. These fires have resulted in multiple deaths, countless injuries along with unknown long-term health effects from the inhalation of toxic vapours.”

The Little Island facility also features immersive training tools like a synthetic smoke system and a configurable search and training space, complete with a confined space and working at height sections. There is also a range of simulations including stoichiometry, dust explosion, flange fire, flashover unit, and rescue drills for high-risk scenarios.

Launched in October 2023, it now has offices in Cork, Dublin, Belfast, and London.