Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Dublin Fire Brigade provides emergency ambulance services in Dublin city and county by arrangement between Dublin City Council and the national ambulance service of the HSE. The Dublin Fire Brigade has a proud tradition of providing this fire-based ambulance service in the capital.

International best practice indicates that combining fire rescue and emergency services greatly improves the response to a crisis. A total of 830 Dublin Fire Brigade firefighters are also trained paramedics. They are available to provide immediate emergency medical assistance and the benefits of this integrated service should not be underestimated.

The Dublin Fire Brigade has been providing the ambulance service in the Dublin area since 1898. Since that time, it has dealt with major emergencies in an efficient and professional manner including at the time of the North Strand bombings in 1941, the Dublin bombings in 1974, the Stardust fire in 1981 and the fatal bus accident on Wellington Quay in 2004. Dubliners are rightly proud of their fire brigade and ambulance service and hold the service in great affection.

There are indications that SIPTU and IMPACT will ballot Dublin Fire Brigade members for strike action over a failure to secure four additional and necessary ambulances for the service. The chief executive of Dublin City Council, Owen Keegan, has stated that he wishes to see a transfer of all call taking and dispatching for ambulances to the national central control centre in Tallaght. He has also stated that this has been agreed by the chief executives of the other Dublin local authorities and by the HSE.

In recent years, three comprehensive reviews have been carried out relating to the ambulance service. The HIQA report, published in December 2014, highlighted public safety issues arising from the fact that two ambulance services were operating in the same area.

The report raised concerns about the existence of two separate control and dispatch processes and identified the need for greater clinical governance of both services. It called for an enhanced integration of service provision in the greater Dublin area. A joint review by the HSE and Dublin City Council of the Dublin ambulance service has also been completed. The independent Lightfoot review of the National Ambulance Service capacity was published. It is clear from all three reports that co-ordination and integration between the Dublin Fire Brigade and the National Ambulance Service is required. In addition, there are deficits in ambulance capacity which require significant investment.

Then Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar, informed the Seanad on 10 March 2015 that staff in the Dublin Fire Brigade would be fully consulted before any changes are implemented. Clearly, such consultation has not taken place. Dublin City Council recently passed a motion to the effect that the elected members in all the Dublin local authorities and on the regional assembly should be consulted about any proposed changes. During the same debate on 10 March 2015, the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, also clarified the position on statutory responsibility for the Dublin ambulance service.

The expert panel on the pre-hospital emergency care services in Dublin published its report in December 2015. The findings of this expert panel should be implemented as a matter of urgency as this report provides a mechanism to address operational inefficiencies and the issue of a fully integrated ambulance service in the Dublin area. The Minister should commence immediately, by way of the new governance arrangements set out by the expert panel, a process to eliminate the shortfall in the available capacity of the Dublin Fire Brigade to meet demand in order that the use of fire appliances to respond to ambulance calls is reserved for those calls that are clinically appropriate.

Funding should be provided directly by the Department and Dublin City Council for the operation of the ambulance service provided by the Dublin Fire Brigade and this funding should be increased to reflect the current costs of the service. The National Ambulance Service and the Dublin Fire Brigade should be given equal status and equal treatment regarding the operation of ambulance services in Dublin. The current dispatch functions should be retained by the Dublin Fire Brigade and the Dublin Fire Brigade should maintain control over its own clinical governance.

I understand that in the coming weeks the Department of Health and the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government will continue to engage with the HSE and Dublin City Council on any changes in service provision which may be proposed. The findings of the expert panel on the pre-hospital emergency care services in Dublin published in December 2015 provides a clear path to deal with problems identified in the various reviews carried out to date. The chief executive of Dublin City Council, Mr. Owen Keegan, and the HSE must not be allowed to make changes unilaterally to the existing arrangements and they most certainly should consult the staff and the unions involved. I fully support the retention of the delivery of Dublin’s ambulance service from the Dublin Fire Brigade call centre. This is in the best interests of the clients and patients and has the wholehearted support of Dubliners generally.

See this speech in context