Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the motion and commend my colleague, Deputy Brady, on the work he has undertaken in tabling it.

Retained firefighters are first responders and are often first on the scene of awful tragedies that we can only imagine. It is a dangerous job with enormous pressure, and firefighters face real risks to their personal safety. Firefighters go into burning buildings to make sure that the rest of us are out of them. They go to cars and cut people out of them even though the cars might explode or burst into flames at any moment. All of this takes an emotional toll on the firefighters and their families.

Conditions within the job have led to a recruitment and retention crisis. Firefighters are on call 24-7 and must be in the vicinity of the fire station at all times, yet the money they receive is not reflective of that commitment. The retained fire services cannot recruit sufficient new members nor retain experienced personnel. This has made an already dangerous and pressurised job even more so, as fire stations are being forced to operate with low crew numbers. In some cases, this has resulted in fire authorities deciding to close stations temporarily.

There are issues with the failure of management to take seriously firefighters' concerns about the provision of proper training, consultation and the supervision of the use of new technologies. That is in breach of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. The retained fire service "is not fit for purpose." These are not my words, but the words of Mr. Dave Carroll, the former head of the Chief Fire Officers Association. He made these remarks in 2018, and matters have grown even worse since then. The cost-of-living crisis has exacerbated the issue and many retained firefighters have been forced to take up full-time employment. The job is not sufficiently paid to consider it full-time employment, so most have to take up other work. However, if they do so they are taxed to the hilt. One firefighter told me that he had received €5,000 for a six-month period of his retainer and call-outs. That was €5,000 in theory. What he actually got into his hand after tax was €1,700. That would not encourage anyone to join and risk his or her life.

I urge Deputies to back this motion, which calls for the establishment of a cross-party Oireachtas joint committee. This issue must be resolved urgently for the safety of the crews and members of the public.

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