Kevin Humphreys (Labour) | Oireachtas source

The tragedy at Grenfell Tower was terrible, particularly in the context of the number of lives lost. We must learn lessons from what happened in London. There is a drive, especially under this Government's policy, towards higher-density and high-rise accommodation. In many instances, I do not disagree with that policy. However, we need to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place to allow a response to take place if a fire were to break out. The study that was conducted identified 262 multi-storey residential buildings that have similar forms of cladding to that used at Grenfell Tower. Approximately 90 of these are residential buildings. Do fire stations know whether such buildings are located in the areas for which they are responsible? This is basic knowledge they should possess.

The London Fire Brigade has changed its operating methods, that is, its pre-determined attendance. For the purposes of the pre-determined attendance, a high-rise is a building of six storeys or more or a height of over 18 m. The London Fire Brigade's pre-determined response to a fire in a high-rise called for four fire appliances, with one having high-reach capability.This has now been changed to five appliances, one of which must have high-reach capability. Irish fire brigades are still sending only three fire appliances - one with high-reach capability - to incidents. The position in this regard to needs to change quickly.

Following the fire, the London Fire Brigade ordered new aerial appliances. There are three aerial appliances in Dublin, nearly all of them second-hand. Dún Laoghaire, where high-rise development has become popular, has an aerial appliance. It is a second-hand appliance and, according to my information, it is currently off the road. If a fire were to break out at a six-storey building in the Dún Laoghaire area, it would have to be attended by one of the high-reach appliances from Tara Street or Donnybrook. That is not acceptable. If we are driving forward with the development of high-rise buildings, we must ensure that the emergency services and first responders have the equipment necessary to make the interventions that save lives. Such equipment would also protect the fire service personnel in attendance.

During the inspection relating to the study that was conducted, I understand that no fire authority actually entered the buildings themselves when they carried out the assessment of the cladding. They were actually drive-by assessments whereby the engineers viewed buildings from the outside and then moved on. When we know these buildings constitute a risk, we have a responsibility to ensure that the residents know that the internal responses in the building are up to standards. Until remedial work is carried out, these buildings obviously carry a higher risk and drive-by inspections are certainly not appropriate.

I am also concerned about planning. I am concentrating on the Dublin area because over 60% of all our high-rise buildings are concentrated there. From Balbriggan to Adamstown, there are real resource problems in the context of responding to fires should they break out. In Balbriggan, there is only one tender that could serve as a high-rise appliance within six minutes. Residents would have to wait for fire trucks to arrive from Phibsborough and elsewhere in order for a fire in a high-rise to be dealt with safely.

The other issue about which I am concerned relates to whether people should stay or go. This was one of the primary reasons for the high loss of life at Grenfell Tower. There was an instruction for high-rise buildings that people on upper storeys should stay rather than evacuate. Have we reassessed the position in this regard? In many cases, our building regulations refer to passive controls. In other words, the structure will contain the fire and allow the firefighters to deal with it safely, while residents or office workers could remain on the higher floors. Has there been a reappraisal of whether building users should stay or leave? Can the Minister of State provide an update on some of these matters?