Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

I acknowledge the truly horrific tragedy suffered by the McElhill family in Omagh yesterday. I regret the fact that I am again compelled to raise in the House the issue of a full-time fire service in Bray. On 26 September in Bray, two brave firefighters lost their lives. Last Friday, another fire occurred on the same site. It is reported that the fire brigade arrived 28 minutes later and that it was the Greystones brigade, rather than the Bray brigade, that dealt with the fire. I understand that due to their depleted numbers only four members of the Bray brigade turned out, and they were unable to proceed to the site of the fire, resulting in the delay and the use of an outside brigade. Subsequently, when a fire occurred in a nursing home in Bray early this week, Bray Fire Brigade did turn out, and the event ended with three fire fighters and a number of gardaí suffering smoke inhalation which was sufficiently severe that they had to attend hospital.

Both of these events are a cause of serious anxiety. The case has been made for a full-time fire service and the evidence is now mounting that the current retained service is experiencing major difficulties in meeting current need. Bray is an area which normally requires a two-pump turnout, yet that appears to be not feasible at present. Ongoing concerns have also been expressed about a practice of vetting calls before calling out the fire brigade. These have never been fully allayed. The Health and Safety Authority is carrying out a report on the fire of 26 September and it is essential for the authority to review events since that date — and before that date — with reference to the fire service in Bray.

It is simply unacceptable that an essential fire-fighting service should be operated on a skeleton basis. Nor is it acceptable that fire fighters, for any reason, would not be fully protected from smoke inhalation through the use of breathing apparatus. When the tragedy in Bray was debated in this House, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government undertook to meet the families of Brian Murray and Mark O'Shaughnessy. Since that meeting, the questions raised by the families are still awaiting answers. I would be grateful if the Minister would give the House an update on the information given to the families. So far there has been no clear indication of any change of policy with regard to the need for a full-time fire service.

I presume the publication of the three reports when completed will generate considerable discussion and assessment, both at local level and in this House. However, the essential point must be made now that it is simply impossible for a local authority to take on from its own resources an additional funding requirement to make the change to a full-time service. The Minister will have to address this issue sooner or later. In the meantime, public concern about the deficiencies in the current fire service in Bray is rising. I acknowledge yet again the contribution made by the members of the retained fire service in Bray and I ask that the Minister does not ignore the problems that now exist in meeting the safety needs of the community in the town of Bray.

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