Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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216. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of local authorities that are utilising the auxiliary fire service resource within the Civil Defence to assist and supplement the permanent fire brigade service in view of the increase in grass, gorse and forest fires; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22773/17]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The role of responding to incidents of fire is assigned to fire authorities in the Fire Services Acts, 1981 to 2003. Decisions about mobilising and deploying fire-fighting resources to fire situations are vested in the Senior Fire Officer present at the scene.

The auxiliary fire service within the Civil Defence is a local authority resource which may be deployed, including in response to requests from the fire service, at the discretion of the relevant local authority Chief Executive. As this decision is one that is made at the local level, the information requested is not available in my Department.