Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I listened to the Taoiseach earlier as he was being questioned by my party leader about the crisis in the retained fire service. He said over and over again that the Government values retained firefighters. The Minister has told us here this evening that he admires them. These are nice words. If the Taoiseach and the Government valued them, however, retained firefighters would not be on picket lines across counties Roscommon and Galway and the rest of the State today. They have been forced into this situation and it is one they do not want to be in. They do not want to be on the picket lines today; they do not want to be up here this evening either. They want to be doing the job they really love to do in their communities on the front line providing a critical emergency service in, and for, their community. The question has to be asked. If the Government persists down this road of not listening to what is being said by the retained firefighters, where are we going to end up? We already have a crisis in recruitment and retention. Are we going to be left with any fire service at all in some parts of the State? That is really what is at stake here at this time. The longer this goes and the longer this is left for pay deals and talks and kicking the can down the road, that is the situation that communities are being put in and it is of no fault of retained firefighters who are doing this job day in, day out. They are being absolutely disrespected and have been for far too long when it comes to an issue that is literally life or death in so many cases. These are the men and women who put their lives at risk when they get a call and attend at a scene. They are the ones who attend fatal car and vehicle collisions and are left to clean up what is left. They do that for 99 cent an hour. They make enormous sacrifices as do their families to provide a lifesaving service for their communities, and they do it for 99 cent an hour. There are counties right across the State, of which Roscommon and Galway are two, which are hugely dependent on retained fire service.

These men and women are asking for fair pay; nothing more, nothing less. Hiding behind the Building Momentum agreement, as the Taoiseach tried to do today and as the Minister has done here this evening, is not good enough. If we value and admire these men and women, we need to pay them at a rate that recognises the very difficult, dangerous job that they do and that recognises their commitment to their local communities.

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