Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply and for his overview of the situation. This is a sensible policy with the potential to save lives and make a real difference in dispersed communities in rural areas. The National Ambulance Service is pursuing this approach and many fire and rescue personnel support this idea. Also, the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council priority dispatch standard allows for the use of appropriately trained fire and rescue staff to respond to certain categories of emergencies as first responders. We now need the Government to fit the pieces together and make it happen, and to bring together all the stakeholders at national and local levels with the common goal of deploying all available resources to save lives. This is about the practical and responsible use of available personnel and resources. I absolutely realise that it would require negotiation and new agreements, but given the prospect of saving lives and offering assurances to vulnerable groups in rural areas, I believe it will be worth it.

It is important to note that the ongoing issues with the ambulance service remain. We require more ambulances based around the country and staff who work reasonable hours to be able to respond safely and effectively to emergencies. We must also have a service that reaches all communities in a timely manner. This policy is about fire and rescue service staff serving as first responders, which is a stopgap measure until an ambulance arrives. We still need more ambulances and we still need more paramedics.

I urge the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, to bring this matter up with the relevant Ministers at Cabinet and to please push this policy as a very practical intervention for rural communities, and surely all communities.

See this speech in context