Fire crew’s praise for quick-thinking Caoimhe (10) following farm incident

Caoimhe Digney, from Downpatrick, was able to recall everything she had been taught about fire safety in school, and put it into practice when a small fire broke out in one of the sheds.

On Wednesday 23 February, Caoimhe and her mum Sian were walking through the farmyard on their way to tend to some newborn lambs.

Caoimhe told her mum she believed she could smell smoke and, as they got closer to the shed, they soon realised there was a fire.

The 10-year-old sprang into action, instructing her mum to dial 999 while she ran to fetch help.

Caoimhe asked her nanny to put on a high-vis jacket and stand on the road with a torch to direct the fire crews to the address.

She also noticed a neighbour was at home and asked if they could enlist his help to move the ewes and lambs to safety.

Sian, meanwhile, tackled the small blaze with a garden hose and, when firefighters from Downpatrick station arrived on the scene, they were relieved to find the fire had been extinguished - all thanks to Caoimhe’s prompt actions.

Proud mum, Sian, commented: “I couldn’t believe a 10-year-old could be so level-headed in those circumstances.

“I was extremely surprised at how mature she was throughout.”

Caoimhe is a massive fan of animals and loves nothing more than helping on the farm, where they keep sheep and suckler cows.

“She was worried about the lambs and whether or not they were OK,” Sian continued, “so we took her to check on them.

“She got chatting away to one of the firefighters about the talk NIFRS had given when she was in P5.

“It had certainly sunk in!

“I was really taken aback by her actions,” Sian added, “I’m very, very proud.”

The Downpatrick fire crew were so impressed with Caoimhe, they invited her and her mum Sian to the station recently to thank her for her quick actions.

The fire crew were delighted to learn that Caoimhe had remembered her ‘P5 Safety Team’ talk delivered by NIFRS, and was confident to safely investigate and raise the alarm when she spotted the fire.

During her visit to the station, Caoimhe found out all about the various engines and machines and what they are used for.

She really enjoyed her visit and was excited to learn even more about the fire service.

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