The Office of Public Works (OPW) has sought an urgent meeting with Clare County Council in an effort to secure a facility for one of the State's busiest Coast Guard units.
Doolin Coast Guard currently operates from a 150-year-old shed which is prone to flooding.
The meeting has been called following confirmation that negotiations between the OPW and a landowner have failed to reach agreement, almost 10 years after funding was sanctioned for a new headquarters for the unit.
The council has arranged another meeting for early next week, when a number of options, including placing a compulsory purchase order on lands at Doolin, will be discussed. It is also thought to be considering providing a site for the station as part of a proposed development of Doolin pier.
The OPW has confirmed that it was "unable to agree satisfactory terms" with the landowner. A spokesman added that the site it had been in negotiations to purchase would have been the most suitable location for the facility.
"Casualties are often treated in a building that is totally unsuitable for the needs of a modern-day rescue unit," former coast guard Kevin Nunan said. "Much of their equipment is stored in a variety of locations throughout the community: the main rescue boat resides in a cowshed two miles inland."
North Clare Fine Gael councillor Martin Conway said: "It is indefensible that after a delay of nearly a decade a site has not even been purchased. A new site needs to be identified immediately."