Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank Sinn Féin for tabling this timely and worthy motion. The past two years have forced us to have a greater appreciation of our front-line workers and their dedication and workload, but also the environment in which they work and the resources they are provided. I have said this many times in the Chamber regarding our nurses, our teachers, our other front-line services and now our Dublin Fire Brigade. It is not enough to clap our hands in admiration or for those in power to cross their fingers and hope that inadequate resources will not result in disaster.

This is an important and urgent motion. Perhaps it is fitting that it is being debated today when Storm Barra is causing havoc for the emergency services that are keeping the public safe, including the Dublin Fire Brigade despite its years-long staffing shortage, exhaustion and low morale. Last night, Dublin Fire Brigade rescued a person who had taken shelter in a tower crane after spotting the person with a thermal imaging camera. Retirement numbers are adding further strain to the staffing situation. The balance between retirements and recruitment is out of whack. Only 36 recruits have joined the Dublin Fire Brigade this year. The Minister has addressed this issue, so I will change my point. Yesterday marked the retirement of a firefighter from the service. I wish Mr. Stephen Dillon the best in his retirement.

While the Dublin Fire Brigade's staffing has been an issue for several years, Covid has exacerbated the situation. That is a phrase that we often use in the Chamber, but I will provide an example to outline the extent of the problem. On 22 November, 49 Dublin Fire Brigade staff were unavailable to work due to testing positive, being a close contact or awaiting a test result. That loss of staff was critical, particularly given that the brigade was already operating at below operational levels. It also meant that critical fire appliances were off the road due to crews being short-staffed. This was an issue even before the pandemic. In July 2019, it was revealed that 23 fire appliances were off the road over the course of seven days. Crews were short a combined 161 personnel. This has been a constant issue, with reports of 20% of appliances being out of use most weeks.

Every day, the people we trust in an emergency are going out concerned not only for their ability to work and keep people safe, but for their own safety. We are plugging the gap with overtime, but that cannot be maintained and is having a detrimental effect on the well-being and health of personnel. We must listen to the very people who manage risk and assess dangerous situations every day when they tell us that there is a problem.

I welcome the call on the Government to ensure that all firefighters and officers are fully trained to manage high-rise fires. There is not the staffing, training or equipment required to ensure that fires in tall building blocks are dealt with adequately. There has been little increase in the provision of high-reach fire appliances despite the city having grown considerably and there is a clear disconnect between the strategic housing development scheme granting numerous planning permissions for high-rise apartment blocks and the Dublin Fire Brigade's training. International best practice is needed when ladders cannot reach. Our firefighters know the techniques to best manage the fire inside. Fighting fires in high-rise buildings requires different techniques and training. It is not something that a firefighter should have to learn in the moment when dealing with an emergency. This is not something that can be learned on the job. While new height training modules are available, they are limited to new recruits and newly promoted officers. We must ensure that this essential training is rolled out to all personnel across the Dublin Fire Brigade.

When looking out at Storm Barra raging, I remembered a presentation that the Dublin Fire Brigade gave to Dublin City Council in October when a similar motion to this one was tabled. It was mentioned that, because it had rained on Halloween night, the firefighters were relieved. They thanked the heavens that it was raining because they did not have the personnel to deal with what would normally have been one of their busiest nights of the year. That firefighters have to look to the sky in order to figure out whether they can do their job is an incredible indictment of the State and something that we need to address.

I remember a presentation from the Dublin Fire Brigade on water safety training and water-based rescues while I was on Dublin City Council. Dublin Fire Brigade takes more people out of the water than it does out of burning houses now. It carries out that training either at the end of the Liffey or in Glendalough, which is fed by a spate river. When it rains as it is at the moment, though, there is too much water and the brigade cannot train. During the summer months when it does not rain enough, there is too little water and it cannot train either. We need a Dublin Fire Brigade that is suitable for 21st century rescues, be they in high-rise buildings or on water, and it needs personnel.

For all the Dublin Fire Brigade officers whom I have come into contact with, it is a vocation for them. They do the job because they believe in it. It is a sad indictment of the State that they are now considering industrial action. This is something that we can address, be it in this Chamber or across Dublin's councils, but urgency is required. There is not much in the way of argument in this Chamber because we all agree that the men and women of the Dublin Fire Brigade are incredible. They need resources. What they need from this Chamber is not just words, but urgency. I hope that the Minister can give them that this evening.

I thank the motion's proposer and the Minister.

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