This year Fire Containment celebrates its tenth anniversary and over the past decade the County Kildare-based business has gone from strength to strength, having really hit its stride in the last few years. Construction Industry News recently caught up with Brenda Fitzpatrick Hennessey, Chief Financial Officer, to see how this success has been achieved and to find out the company’s plans to keep the momentum going forward.
“Our CEO, Alan Byrne, established the business in 2016, initially focusing on passive fire protection services, before gradually evolving the offering over the years and moving into the UK market,” explains Brenda. “In recent years we have entered the medical market, having completed our first two jobs in this area with another contract set to commence in Blackrock in Dublin next year.”
To support its developing interests in the medical sector, Fire Containment has been adding to its team. This willingness to invest in its people and infrastructure has been a hallmark of the company’s approach since its creation. This forward-thinking approach saw the establishment in 2023 of a UK subsidiary, Passive Fire Containment Ltd, which has also been making strong in-roads into the marketplace under the stewardship of David Lennon, COO.
“We’re very proud to have launched our first subsidiary and although it is still relatively early days, the business has made a very impressive start,” says Brenda. “New initiatives of this type always take a little bit of time but we’ve been very pleased with the progress it has been making.”
In terms of the Irish parent company, in addition to medical, the business has also been developing strongly within the firestopping arena.
“It’s a relatively niche area within construction and we’ve been able to build a strong name in the market. We’re aiming to develop this reputation further to keep growing as a business.”
In addition to its commercial success, Fire Containment has also been attracting recognition from the wider industry. While it just missed out in the end, the fact that the company was nominated for an Irish Construction Industry Award within the Sub-Contractor of the Year category was an achievement in itself, given the calibre of companies it was up against, while Michelle Byrne was unlucky to be pipped for a Women in Construction award.
“It was our first appearance at the awards, so it was great to just be involved. We really enjoyed the night and it was fantastic that the hard work of our team, and Michelle in particular, was validated by the nominations. All the progress we’ve made has been down to our people as a collective. Of course, Alan has a vision for the company, but we’re all working towards a common goal of growth and expansion. Being able to solve problems on a day-to-day basis and solve the most appropriate products has been vital in ensuring we providing the client with the right solution every time.”
Supporting Fire Containment’s activities are a team of around 42 people, which includes 30 general operatives and 12 administrative staff. This growing workforce has not only allowed the company to excel as a sub-contractor, but has also seen it comfortably make the transition into being a fully-fledged principal contractor.
“Over the years we’ve worked with many leading contactors, such as BAM and JJ Rhatigans, so we’ve had tremendous experience of operating with top tier construction businesses. We’re now looking to use this knowledge as the platform to build our own organisation further, particularly within medical.
“We’ve been fortunate with the connections we’ve been able to develop over the years, which have complemented the individuals we’ve added to the business. It’s all come together to create a fantastic culture. Of course there’s been some hurdles along the way, but nothing in business is ever easy otherwise everyone would be doing it and making their millions! However, by working collaboratively we’ve been able to rise to every challenge and keep pushing forward.
“Developing a robust supply chain has also been integral, especially as we build our interests within the medical sector. We strive to source locally whenever possible but we have also built strong relationships with companies in the likes of the UK and Germany too. It’s all about having several options to choose from.”
As its award nominations and ongoing commercial success demonstrate, Fire Containment is on the right tracks as it heads into its tenth anniversary year. This is certainly going to be a company to keep an eye on in future.