Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank my party colleagues and other Deputies for their support for this motion. I welcome the Minister's acceptance of the motion and acknowledge the passion he expressed for Dublin Fire Brigade. However, as fire officers have continuously said to me in the course of meetings with them in recent weeks, they want support now. They do not have very much confidence in anyone to deliver at the moment. They want to see something happen for them.

On the sum of €61 million in capital funding, I believe that is for the fire services in the entire State, including Dublin Fire Brigade and the retained fire services, but it is my understanding that the chief fire officer has said that he needs €80 million for Dublin alone. We can clearly see the disparity between what is required for a modern fire service and what is being provided. When we are throwing figures around, we must be clear and concise about the impact these sums will have.

I wish to focus on a number of issues that I did not have time to deal with earlier, including the growing population in Dublin city and county and the height and scale of buildings, which others have raised. When firefighters told me recently about the engines they were using, to say I was dumbfounded is not an exaggeration. If the people of Dublin really knew of the condition and age of the equipment being used by firefighters they would be genuinely shocked. I have been told that Dublin fire brigade has 21 engines and as has been confirmed in the House, the chief fire officer has committed to the provision of four new engines, two before Christmas and two after. A lot of the current stock is between 15 and 17 years old, with 2003, 2004 and 2005 engines that have over 200,000 km on their clocks. It is unbelievable that some of the most highly qualified and professional firefighters in the world are expected to carry out their role in such old trucks. Taxi drivers are not allowed to operate in cars that are more than ten years old and yet we expect fire officers to work with engines that are 15 or 16 years old. I have been informed that although four new engines are on the way, some of the equipment that is coming into the country is already five or six years old. We are getting the cast-offs of some other fire services. How can the Department justify not giving such a vital service the funding required so that firefighters can carry out their job safely and effectively? The Minister spoke about the amount of funding being provided but if it is not sufficient to cover what is required then it is not enough.

Every organisation needs a strategic plan that is based on the needs of the service that is being provided to the community but it is clear that there is no such signed-off, strategic plan as required under section 26 of the Fire Services Act 1981. I am concerned about the timelines for the development of the fire service, especially in terms of the growth of Dublin Fire Brigade. The chief fire officer has mentioned certain capital projects which will be delivered in eight to ten years but that is not sufficient for Dublin. The city and county is growing as we speak and has been for the last 30 years. I live in Dublin west. There is a fire station in Coolmine, around the corner from my house, which has one fire engine, one fire officer and seven staff, including two Dublin Fire Brigade ambulance paramedics as part of the team, serving a population of over 110,000 people. In the next number of years, that population will grow to 140,000. There are 50,000 people working in the industrial units in Ballycoolin and Tyrrelstown. Is that sufficient? Absolutely not. Do we need another engine in that fire station? Yes, without a shadow of a doubt. Adamstown has already been mentioned. It has been on the map since 2020 and still there is no fire station. The most incredible example is in North Strand. A Portakabin was delivered for the additional staff that were hired and they were told they would have a new fire station in two years. How many years ago was that? It was 13 years ago. Staff were told 13 years ago that a temporary Portakabin would be in situfor two years and then they would have a new station.

When I listen to fire officers, what I hear is complete and utter frustration and a lack of trust in what is being said to them by the Government, the chief fire officer and Dublin City Council. Everybody has given a clear outline of exactly what is required from the Government, Dublin City Council and the chief fire officer. I urge the Government and all of those with the power, authority and funding to listen to the workers. They are the people we asked to go out onto the front line today. When the rest of us were told to stay at home, we asked them to go out. During the pandemic, we are asked to work from home and they are asked to go out and put their lives at risk. They do not want applause; they want to be respected.

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