Mr. Dennis Keeley:

The DFB has provided an ambulance service to the people of Dublin since 1892. Firefighters are also trained paramedics and rotate continuously between firefighting and emergency medical service duties. I thank the Chairman and the committee for their invitation. I welcome the opportunity to attend and discuss the issues facing the ambulance services. I am the chief fire officer for Dublin Fire Brigade and ambulance service. I am accompanied by my colleagues, district officer Martin O’Reilly and senior executive officer Una Joyce.

Dublin Fire Brigade provides the function of the fire authority for the four Dublin local authorities, namely, Dublin City Council, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, South Dublin County Council and Fingal County Council. The brigade operates a 24-7 fire, rescue and emergency ambulance service from 12 full-time and two retained fire stations. We also operate the east regional communications centre, an administrative headquarters, a fire prevention and enforcement section and a brigade training centre and logistics.

Dublin Fire Brigade provides emergency cover to Dublin city and county, a region with a population of more than 1.43 million or 28.5% of the total population, covering an area of 922 sq. km. In 2020, Dublin Fire Brigade processed in excess of 173,000 emergency fire and ambulance 999 or 112 calls. There were 31,723 mobilisations to fire and rescue calls and 96,000 mobilisations to ambulance calls. Dublin Fire Brigade is particularly proactive with respect to safety and has achieved international accreditation, and-or memoranda of understanding, for all aspects of its service delivery, including ISO 9001, ISO 45001, and an International Association of Emergency Dispatchers centre of excellence.

The service is guided by the range of policies and procedures issued by the national directorate for fire and emergency management, NDFEM, which sets the national policy for fire authorities, the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council, PHECC, and HIQA. The objective of Dublin Fire Brigade is to respond and deal with fire and medical emergencies as statutorily obliged. Our vision is to make Dublin a safe place to live, work and enjoy by being a modern, community focused and influential fire and emergency ambulance and rescue service. As part of my submission, I have also included a brief report that outlines the challenges faced by Dublin Fire Brigade into the future.