Pending the establishment of crash rescue facilities at Finner Camp, the Air Corps temporarily relocated to Sligo Airport on 9 January 2001 and provided the 24 hour search and rescue service from that location. However, all the relevant fire fighting equipment, including a fire tender and a fully trained fire rescue service were put in place at Finner Camp, County Donegal and this allowed the SAR service to resume on 4 December 2001 at that location.
As I have previously stated in the House, the safety of personnel working in the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service is of paramount importance. The adequacy of facilities at Finner Camp, including for SAR purposes, are kept under constant review taking account of ongoing operational requirements. Since 1997, approximately €1.3 million has been spent at Finner Camp on refurbishment projects which included inter alia upgrading runway lights.