John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have seven points to make in 60 seconds. The Dublin Fire Brigade gets 7% of the national ambulance budget but takes on 40% of the ambulance calls nationally. It is simple maths. Dublin City Council actually has the legal authority to run the Dublin Fire Brigade and ambulance service. It is not necessarily a moral obligation, but I believe that obligation has been well established after 150 years. The fire-emergency medical service model is the best model for an urban area. All expert reports point to that. The dual qualification makes the Dublin Fire Brigade ambulance service very efficient on the public purse. The Dublin Fire Brigade is very used to emergencies. It deals with emergencies every hour of every day. It is never off service. This is not a competition with the National Ambulance Service.

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