Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to inquire if there will be an increase in the level of funding to local authorities to ensure that the current level of fire service is maintained. In addition, are there plans to bring a voluntary fire service into full-time service and retain a fire service scheme in the Carlow fire service?

Virtually every town in Ireland has a local fire brigade made up of experienced first responders who are advanced first aid officers and are tied to the town, particularly when they are on call 24 hours a day or on call for the week, as they cover the fire and rescue call-outs.

In Carlow fire service, six volunteer firefighters have been doing this in a voluntary capacity for almost four years for life-threatening ambulance-related call-outs only. That is important because these are ambulance-related callouts only, even during the Covid-19 crisis. As firefighters they carry defibrillators, advanced airway management and trauma bags, in which are carried all of this equipment. It makes perfect sense to avail of this training, experience, knowledge and equipment in attending life-threatening medical emergencies within minutes of being alerted on their pagers, until the overstretched National Ambulance Service Ireland, NASI, arrive at the scene. These crews must be brought into the fire service properly to ensure that they are paid properly to provide what are life-saving services.

There are approximately 1,800 retained firefighters throughout the 220 fire stations covering the Republic of Ireland. Central Government, the HSE and local government need to work together on a plan to make better use of their existing resources. A great deal can be achieved if heads work together. Life is everything and nothing else matters. One cannot put a price on a life.

I have raised the pressure that the National Ambulance Service Ireland is under with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and with An Taoiseach and have also raised this issue in the House several times. I compliment our ambulance paramedics in Carlow on the work they do. They are worked very hard and I will say again that they are in a building that is not fit-for-purpose. I understand that the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, is coming shortly to Carlow to visit this facility and we all know the pressures that the ambulance paramedics are under.

I welcome that in some counties the fire service personnel can be used to assist in the cardiac arrest service agreed by the National Ambulance Service. This makes sense as it uses the existing resources. This allows trained fire service personnel to respond where life is at stake and when available to free up the ambulance service to focus their skills and expertise toward other medical emergencies.

What are the Minister of State’s plans to address sustainability of the fire service in Carlow and to address the use of these volunteers? It is important when I am speaking about volunteers to acknowledge the great work they do which we have seen over the Covid-19 period. We saw the work that the ambulance paramedics and fire services did. We have such great people in Ireland who work so hard and those are just two examples of the dedication and of the work they do outside their call of duty. Many of these officers do a great deal of work outside of their remit and it is important that we acknowledge that. The only way we can do that is to ensure that we know and understand the work that they have done and look after them. I feel that is missing and that we do not appreciate their work enough. It is very important when we have such good people on the ground working within their communities, saving lives and working together, to learn that when we all work together we will grow more and will work better. There is a duty of care on the Minister State’s Department to ensure that these workers are looked after. I thank the Minister of State and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

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