Written answers

Thursday, 23 April 2015

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

Fire Service

Photo of Brian StanleyBrian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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26. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans for the reform of the fire service; and if he will provide a guarantee that the service will be retained under local authority control. [15619/15]

Photo of Alan KellyAlan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Fire services are provided by the local authorities in accordance with the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003. The fire authorities currently provide a range of operational and fire safety services through 27 service delivery units, using an infrastructure of 217 fire stations and some 600 fire appliances and associated specialist equipment. In February 2013, the Keeping Communities Safe (KCS) document w as published as national policy. The option of moving to a national fire service was considered, but it was concluded that the risks of doing this were too great for the benefits that could be obtained and that those benefits could be obtained while still maintaining the local authority role in providing fire services.

In the current arrangement, accountability for local fire service delivery is maintained through the normal arrangements under which the local authority executive is answerable to its elected members for the implementation of policy. Local authority elected members exercise their reserved function of adopting “Fire and Emergency Operations Plans”, as provided for under Section 26 of the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003.

For the first time, Keeping Communities Safe sets out national standards and norms for fire services in Ireland. Local authority fire services can now be benchmarked against these national standards, while maintaining proper local accountability for service provision. The fire service is led and managed by 27 Chief Fire Officers, supported by a staff of 175 Assistant Chief Fire Officers, who also provide a range of specialist services. The 217 fire stations are managed by 600 Officers who are numbered among the 1,199 full time and 2,039 retained fire - fighters that make up the service. Fire - fighter numbers in Ireland have been protected in recent years , despite the economic difficulties and staffing reductions in other public service areas. Likewise, local authority funding for fire services has been maintained for the past four years, at a time when general local authority spending has declined.

It is a credit to our local authorities that they provide such quality and effective fire services. Ireland is in the league of most fire safe countries, with a three year average fire fatality rate of 6.4 deaths / million of population in the three most recent years 2012 – 2014. Of course, each fire death is one too many and we cannot be complacent, but this statistic underscores the quality and professionalism of fire services our fire authorities provide to communities.

I am also satisfied that the current organisational arrangement at national level, with the creation of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management in 2009 within my own Department, is an effective model for providing national leadership for fire services and emergency management and for driving and overseeing the development of consistent, effective and safe fire services by the local authorities. The National Directorate support s fire authorises through setting general policy, the provision of training support and guidance on operational and other related matters, and capital funding which, over the last decade, has exceeded €155 million.

I have no plans to bring forward legislation to amend the current effective and appropriate arrangements for fire service provision.

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