Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Labour Party supports the motion tabled by Deputy Paul Donnelly and we congratulate him on the work he has put into it. I do not think anyone could grow up in Dublin, particularly on the northside, without the issue of Stardust looming large whenever the fire brigade or firefighters are mentioned. It is a scar across the northside. It happened 40 years ago but it is something that runs extremely deep. That is why, when we had a presentation from SIPTU and firefighters a number of weeks ago about this matter, I could almost see myself sitting in an Oireachtas committee after some disaster in the future listening to testimony about how we were completely unprepared. Having visited Kilbarrack fire station in my constituency and having listened to firefighters there saying they have no capacity to deal with any fire that takes place over the sixth storey in any apartment block, it is clear that these people are putting their lives on the line for something they believe in, which is protecting life and public safety, but they are not given the tools to do the job properly. It takes a huge amount for somebody to ballot for industrial action. It is the biggest thing a worker can ever do. I sometimes wonder if people who do not understand the trade union movement or the labour movement think balloting for industrial action is a frivolous thing that people do without thinking. It is the biggest thing a worker can ever do. There is no selfish motive behind this. It is not about pay or conditions. This is about the potential for the service to actually do its job.

We were all told to stay home today. Schoolchildren were told not to go to school. Childcare facilities and third level institutions were closed and will still be closed in many areas around the country tomorrow but our firefighter personnel are still expected to go out and effectively put their lives on the line to protect us. They put on that uniform and believe in it but the feeling from them is that the State, or the authorities in Dublin who oversee the fire brigade, do not believe in that uniform as much as they do.

I appreciate that this motion is not being opposed. That is a positive move and much of what the Minister said is to be commended. However, I was absolutely shook by the testimony given to me and others when Senator Marie Sherlock organised that briefing for us. I felt that we were potentially looking at a situation like what happened in the UK when a major fire incident took place. Lives were lost and destroyed, bodies were maimed, children's lives were torn apart and children's parents were lost. We we were told at that briefing that the capacity of Dublin Fire Brigade to deal with such a major event is being undermined by lack of personnel, staff shortages and lack of basic equipment, as I have outlined.

In my constituency, there are massive Celtic tiger constructions that have been built over the past 20 or so years. With the changing face of Dublin, the way people live now is very different to the way they lived at the time of the Stardust fire. They live in apartment complexes and the major complaint people have about apartment defects is always around fire safety. If we were to face a major fire in one of these complexes, which have question marks as regards fire safety, and if we had a catastrophe of the nature of what has happened in the UK in more recent years, we would be looking at each other at an Oireachtas committee saying that we were told and asking what we did about it. We are still about 100 people short of what is needed to properly service the fire hazard needs of this city. It is not just what these people do as regards fire but it is also to do with rescue, cardiac arrests and various other things that firefighters and people in Dublin Fire Brigade are trained to deal with.

I know from the Minister's response that he is across this issue but all of us in politics are always fearful of the day when we are sitting in a committee meeting knowing that we have been told, that it was outlined to us and that we did not do enough when told to prevent it. We are all very wise after an event. Whenever anything happens in politics, or some major catastrophe, event or occasion, everybody is wise after the event. Everybody can tell you exactly what should have happened but we are being told about this now. For Dublin Fire Brigade to ballot for industrial action is a huge move from those members. It is nothing to do with pay or conditions. It is all to do with the service in which they are proud to serve and the uniform they put on. I can only imagine how a family member of a firefighter feels every time they leave home in order to go to work because I am quite sure there is a percentage of their brain that worries about them coming back through that door again. Other jobs are just not like that. Every fire station has a dedication to somebody whose life was lost or changed as a result of the work they do. If they are telling us, unselfishly, that they need more people to do their jobs and protect the city then they absolutely must be listened to. If they are saying to people like me that they do not have any capacity to deal with a fire over the sixth storey of an apartment block, they have to be listened to. These are the front-line heroes we keep hearing about. We cannot keep congratulating people for the work they do day to day, as well as on days like today, then not listen to what they have to say and force them to go down the route of industrial action. It is a shameful day when firefighters, fire personnel and Dublin Fire Brigade have to ballot for industrial action.

For people in my constituency, every northside Dubliner, and probably every Dubliner and most people in this country, when they hear the word "Stardust" they know exactly what that means. It was 40 years ago but all of us have been shaped by that event. None of us want to be in a situation - and I am repeating the point - of saying in a number of years after an event that we were told and did not do enough. These people are telling us now, in an unselfish fashion, using the most powerful method they have by potentially withdrawing their labour and going through and industrial action process, about the deficiencies in the service. We have to do our bit. We are all collectively supporting this motion but what we need is a service with 1,040 members, as has been advocated for. That is the service we need. We should not just go up to 965, which will happen when the 45 people the Minister said are currently in training are added. These people deserve better. We are reminded today of the sacrifices they make every day, and of their families, who I am sure wonder every day if they are going to cross back over the threshold of the home when they come back from work.

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