Social media misinformation about Slievenamon wildfire slammed at council meeting

Misinformation about the Slievenamon wildfire disseminated on social media was criticised at Tipperary County Council's monthly meeting, which heard the local authority countered it with regular daily press briefings.

Tipperary Fire & Rescue Service's Chief Fire Officer John Shinners told councillors a number of things put up on social media during the wildfire crisis did not assist the Fire Service in resolving the fire “to put it mildly”.

He paid tribute to local and national media for not picking up on that misinformation and instead taking their information from the Fire Service's media briefings.

Acting Assistant Chief Fire Officer Carol Kennedy, who led the emergency response operation, also praised the local and national media, who she said were very supportive in getting the Fire Service's message out and helped to calm down any panic arising in the public.

She paid tribute to the Council's Corporate Services staff for their work in sending out over 20 press releases updating the media and public about the wildfire and firefighting operation, and also councillors for getting the correct information out to their constituents during the crisis.

Council CEO Sinead Carr also thanked councillors and mainstream media for their work in getting the correct information out to the public, which she noted had been “unfortunately genuinely difficult”.

She spoke of the trust the public have in councillors and how valuable this was during the crisis.

Carrick-on-Suir Sinn Féin Cllr David Dunne expressed disappointment at some of the information posted on social media about the wildfire.

He said people “giving a running commentary” and “attention seeking” made the situation a lot worse and put people in fear.

One particular video that angered him claimed there wasn't a fire brigade to be seen up on the mountain.

He pointed to the upset this caused to the hardworking firefighters, many of them from Carrick-on-Suir, and their partners.

“The last thing you needed was a shower of yahoos thinking they knew best,” he declared.

Mayor of Clonmel Cllr Siobhan Ambrose said when something big like this happens, everybody has an opinion, but the situation the Fire Service dealt with was unprecedented.

It was not like a regular fire, with the wind changing the situation time after time.

The Fianna Fáil councillor paid tribute to the firefighters who left their families and stayed away overnight for days to combat the fire.

“I think people don't realise the sacrifice they made,” she added.