Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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576. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware that the abolition of town councils has resulted in their former staff, who also work for the fire service, being instructed to work in county council areas which are outside the permitted 1.5 kilometre radius of their designated fire station; that this might result in the loss of experienced fire fighters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40530/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Under Section 10 of the Fire Services Act 1981, the provision of a fire service in its functional area is a statutory function of each individual fire authority (local authority).  Retained fire service personnel normally respond to the fire station on receipt of emergencies calls within a short period of time, typically five minutes.

  The allocation of staff within a local authority is a matter for individual local authority management and, where staff fulfil dual roles, in conjunction with fire service management.