Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I do not know any retained firefighter who wants to be on strike. Eight months ago I stood on the main street in Creeslough and I saw retained part-time firefighters rush into a building that had collapsed. I saw them work through the night and work diligently and respectfully as they recovered ten bodies from that scene. Today those firefighters and their colleagues are on strike. Why? It is not because they do not love their jobs; they love their jobs. It is not because they do not love their communities; they love their communities. They do not want to be on strike but they know there is a crisis in the service.

The Minister talks about extra recruitment but it has been said over and over again that people are not joining the service because of the requirements that are placed on them. They receive €8,500 to carry a bleeper that says they cannot leave their communities or the vicinity of the fire station, within 2.5 km, on any day of the week or in any week in the year. We all got a taste of what it meant to be confined to a 3 km radius during the lockdown and the pandemic. This is their life day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year. They miss out on vital and important issues, including football matches, christenings and so on and so forth, because they love their jobs. They are making it very clear there needs to be an increase in their core pay and retainer to encourage other people to join them.

We all recognise the heroism these retained firefighters show. They show it every single day in responding to the types of tragedies we see in our communities. They rush into burning buildings, they are highly skilled and they have a passion for what they do. They need more than plaudits or soft words from Government; they need action. It falls on the shoulders of the Minister and the Minister of State. Those individuals who rushed into that building in Creeslough, the individuals who rush into burning buildings, and the individuals who rescue those in collisions are on strike. That should not happen. These are the heroes in our communities. The Minister needs to engage properly to ensure they are not just respected but are paid properly in the retainer that is being offered. That is what is needed here, not soft words from Government.

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