Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank all Deputies who contributed to this important motion. I am certainly conscious, as we all are this evening, particularly in light of the storm, of the incredible resource of our emergency services and fire services across the country. We thank them all for the work they are putting in. There has been extraordinary work across the country to keep people safe, to get services up and running and to keep people moving, which is critical. We appreciate all of that.

I will try to respond to some of the questions. I listened to the first half of the session with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. Questions were raised in the early part of the session by Deputy Seán Crowe in regard to staff shortages and equipment. Specifically on that point, the Department has initiated a review of the retained fire services to address training, recruitment and retention issues and, again, to strengthen the services.

Deputy Paul Murphy raised a question around high-rise developments, although I will not go into the specific incident that he raised. Dublin Fire Brigade currently has three aerial appliances and one more is due for delivery in January, with one more to be ordered. These are available for response throughout Dublin where and when required.

Deputy Seán Canney raised the issue around the fire station in Tuam. I thank him for his comments in regard to the progress that is being made around capital investment, in particular in regard to fire stations.

The Deputy made the point that we are getting there in Galway city. He also mentioned the issue of a national uniform and a standard kit. He said that the uniform is not standard across the service and we take that point on board.

The other issues raised were taking the fire brigade for granted, training and the modern technology that is an investment and not a cost. Deputy Joan Collins raised the issue of staffing and adequate cover, specifically in Dublin. I know this is putting a focus on all of our fire services throughout the country but I will update the Deputy on the most recent firefighter recruitment campaign. It began in September 2019 and all recent fire brigade recruit training has taken place in the shadow of the pandemic, which has placed considerable additional challenges on the process. The first class of recruits from that campaign began training in April 2020 and have taken up positions across the fire brigade. A second recruit class began training in June 2021 and will finish this December with 36 recruits taking up positions. A third recruit class of 45 will begin training early in February 2022 and provision has been made within Dublin City Council's budget for a fourth and final class of recruits from the remaining panel later in 2022. On staffing in Dublin Fire Brigade, Dublin City Council as the employer has engaged in an extended process with firefighter representative bodies Fórsa and SIPTU and the WRC. The issues under consideration include: manning levels; staff numbers; the role of operational intelligence risk assessment; implementation of efficiencies in the operation of special appliances; recruitment; and the schedule of recruitment to ensure staffing level continuity. Those are just quick responses to the issues raised by Deputies since I took over this part of the debate.

The Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, and I would like to thank all of the Deputies for raising these issues. We have heard the concerns of Deputies raised this evening but it is important to put it all into context. No one can or would deny that Dublin Fire Brigade provides an invaluable fire, rescue and ambulance service for the greater Dublin area and there is no doubt that the service saves countless lives, as well as preventing damage to residential and commercial property daily. Dublin Fire Brigade, which is part of Dublin City Council, provides fire and rescue services for the four Dublin local authority areas: Dublin City Council; Fingal County Council; South Dublin County Council; and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. It also provides an ambulance service in these areas for the HSE on an agency basis. Dubliners are undoubtedly proud of the men and women who provide these services to nearly 1.5 million people across an area of 356 square miles and at a time of risk to their own lives in doing so.

As we have discussed, it is true that the Covid pandemic has presented huge challenges in recruitment and training of new staff, resulting in staffing shortages in recent times. However, my Department and Dublin City Council are actively engaged in working to address the situation. I have outlined the current recruitment drive and processes that have taken place to date. As my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, has already stated, firefighters and paramedics are not just hired; there is also an extensive recruitment and training process to follow before suitable candidates are appointed and this takes time. Dublin Fire Brigade management is following this process. I would like to again emphasise that much is going on in the background. Dublin City Council, as the employer, has been engaged in an extended process with firefighter representative bodies Fórsa and SIPTU, as well as with the WRC. I am glad to say there has been some progress in a number of areas, some of which will alleviate pressures caused by current staffing arrangements. Unfortunately, no final agreement has been reached. I call for all parties to re-engage with the process as a matter of urgency and to use the industrial relations machinery that are in place. Everyone wants a positive resolution that is acceptable to all stakeholders and we want it as quickly as possible.

While local authorities, as the provider and employer of fire services and their staff, have a yearly budget of €240 million for same, this budget is supplemented by my Department’s fire services capital programme. This provides for investment in: appliances; vehicles; equipment; upgrading of existing stations; and construction of new stations. This Government’s continued support for all fire services is reflected in the most recent fire services capital programme, which will see an investment of €61 million between 2021 and 2025. Nationally we will see: six new fire stations built; continued support for the construction of a further 12 new stations already under construction; nine fire station refurbishments; and the allocation of 35 new fire engines. In previous programmes in 2015 and 2017, Dublin Fire Brigade saw the delivery of six appliances at an approximate cost of €2 million. It will continue to benefit from my Department’s capital programme with a current allocation of six new vehicles. Sanction has also been given for the purchase of a new turntable ladder at a cost of €850,000. New vehicles have been sanctioned and are being ordered, specced, built and delivered. As importantly, as officials from my Department are actively engaging with Dublin Fire Brigade management on the strategic development of fire service infrastructure going into the future, discussions include the upgrading of existing stations and new station proposals. My Department is always available to consider additional proposals as they may arise.

Training has also been raised as a point of concern by many Deputies. The issue of recruitment and training of new recruits has already been addressed by the Minister. I would like to reiterate that the national director for fire emergency management, NDFEM, in my Department provides a central training programme that supports all fire services, including Dublin Fire Brigade. The annual programme of courses for the fire services officers and firefighters supports the ability of fire authorities to deliver efficient and effective fire and rescue services. The NDFEM also supports fire service delivery through the preparation of appropriate standards and guidance on the management of a large range of fire services and operational activities, including fighting fires in high-rise buildings. A key element over the last decade has been the preparation and circulation of standard operational guidance; a suite of 47 documents developed between 2010 and 2012 by fire service personnel and issued by the NDFEM to all local authorities for consideration and adoption. The NDFEM programme complements Dublin Fire Brigade’s training programmes, which take place in its training centre, the O’Brien Institute and other venues. As high-rise firefighting has been raised by a number of Deputies, I should mention that high-rise training modules have been delivered to all new recruits and newly promoted officers within Dublin Fire Brigade. The programme is being assessed for sign-off for broader upskilling of all officers and firefighters as soon as possible.

The Department, my colleague, the Minister, and I, remain committed to an invested in and supported Dublin Fire Brigade. We will continue to work with all parties in an effort to resolve the outstanding issues and support ongoing initiatives. We cannot praise Dublin Fire Brigade and our fire services across the country enough for their collaborative efforts with other emergency services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. As I said at the outset, we deeply appreciate the dedication, skill and courage of our fire services in today’s response to Storm Barra.

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