Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Sinn Féin for tabling the motion, which gives me an opportunity to speak on it. On a night like tonight when we have a storm, it is appropriate that we are talking about people who are on standby and waiting to help out if there is a need in the case of an emergency arising. They are probably out there taking care of emergencies at the moment. We must reflect on the fire service and what it does right across the country every day of the week.

I commend the Department, the Minister and the former Minister, Eoghan Murphy, on their support to me in delivering new fire stations across Galway East. I had the honour of officially opening the new fire station in Tuam approximately two years ago. A new site has been located for the fire station in Athenry, the Part 8 planning has been completed, and a detailed design is now being prepared. I hope that will go to tender once approval is given by the Department.

A site has also been identified for Loughrea fire station and a design team has been appointed, with the approval of the Department. It is very important to have the infrastructure right. We also have a fine premises in Gort and in Mountbellew, which are all serving the east of the county. The fire service in Galway looks after the city as well as the county. The existing fire service site is not fit for purpose. Galway County Council, in conjunction with Galway City Council and the departmental officials are identifying a site. I am sure the Department will be very supportive of the acquisition of the site to make sure that we can build a fire station that is fit for purpose for the city of Galway and the surrounding areas. We are getting there, from the point of view of infrastructure and buildings and proper state-of-the-art facilities for the firemen that serve us so well.

One of the issues that arises has been alluded to in the context of Dublin, but it is not just a Dublin issue. It is the issue of recruitment into the retained firefighters service, which is falling. What is happening is that as people retire, younger people are not coming in. There are several reasons for that. We must try to make the retained firefighter position more attractive and give more recognition for the work. The National Retained Firefighters Association, which looks after the interests of these fine men and women, has been trying to improve the resources to the fire service. Retained firefighters are on call 24-7, 365 days a year with just 28 days off within that time and while they might not be involved all the time, they are on call. That is a big sacrifice for anyone to make, but especially younger people. It is time that we looked at the pay and conditions of retained firefighters. It would not cost an arm and a leg. In future, we should have a situation where all of our fire stations are properly resourced in terms of human resources. We have a difficulty with recruitment. Some fire stations, including Gort, Athenry and Mountbellew, have a shortage of personnel. That is a worrying trend.

We talk about giving recognition to the fire service and retained firefighters, and one of the asks of the National Retained Firefighters Association is that we provide a national uniform for the service. This is something we can do that would not cost an arm and a leg but would give them an identity and a sense of purpose. No more than the Garda or the Army, they would be recognised by their uniform. That is a small ask but it is something we should do.

When I was Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works we had a lot of flooding in 2015 and 2016 and I remember the fire service carrying out Trojan work day and night to keep roads open. It worked in conjunction with Galway County Council. It is something that we take for granted because firefighters are not in the limelight. They are called out to deal with accidents and tough scenarios and they do it as a matter of course. They must be trained and given the necessary resources. Training is important because in the modern digital era we must make sure the fire service is up to speed with modern techniques and that the equipment keeps pace with developments. It is an investment, not a cost. It is an investment in our safety and in people. We must make sure that no more than with the Garda or the Army that we have a fire service that we are all proud of and that we can rely on and also have the comfort of knowing that they are happy in what they are doing.

They are happy in what they are doing, but people are not going into it because younger people are not attracted to that retained firefighter role due to the commitment that has to be made, and the reward just is not there.

I plead with the Minister and the Department to keep up the good work in terms of providing infrastructure and providing the tenders and the equipment that are needed, but also to please look at the human resource element for the fire service nationally, both in Dublin and right across the country. That is where we need to invest time, effort and recognition for what they do.

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