Civil Defence Ireland

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Civil Defence Ireland

Cosaint Shibhialta na hÉireann
Agency overview
Formed	1951 (73 years ago) (1951)
Jurisdiction	Ireland
Headquarters	Benamore Roscrea, County Tipperary, Ireland 52°57′30.9″N 7°46′38.6″W / 52.958583°N 7.777389°W / 52.958583; -7.777389
Employees	60 Employees(approx.) 3500 Volunteer Members[1]
Minister responsible	Micheál Martin, TD, Minister for Defence
Parent department	Department for Defence & Local Authorities
Website	civildefence.ie

Civil Defence Ireland (Irish: Cosaint Shibhialta na hÉireann) is the national civil defence organisation of Ireland. It is a statutory agency of the Irish Department of Defence and is administered by local authorities. It was established in 1951 in response to the threat of nuclear disaster posed by the atomic bomb following World War II. Today it is an emergency response and rescue agency whose purpose is to provide aid, assistance and relief in times of emergency or natural disaster. It may also support primary emergency response agencies namely the Garda Síochána, HSE National Ambulance Service, and local authority fire services when requested. Civil Defence Ireland consists almost entirely of volunteers, numbering 2500 as of May 2023.^[2]