Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

240. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if the national emergency co-ordination group has been convened in relation to the recent large numbers of gorse fires across County Donegal and the gorse and forest fires elsewhere in the State; and the person or body that was overseeing this emergency situation at national level and that was making decisions on the deployment of resources such as helicopters with water and Defence Forces personnel. [23212/17]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The role of responding to incidents of fire is assigned to fire authorities in the Fire Services Act, 1981 to 2003. Under Section 10 of that Act, fire authorities are required to make provision for the prompt and efficient extinguishing of fires in buildings and other places of all kinds in its functional area and for the protection and rescue of persons and property from injury by fire. A fire authority, in the exercise of its fire-fighting functions is required to have regard (in addition to all other relevant considerations) to the nature of the fire hazards and the probable incidence and extent of fires in its functional area, the character of the area and the value of the property liable to be damaged by fires. Decisions about mobilising and deploying fire-fighting resources to fire situations are vested in the Senior Fire Officer present at the scene. On-scene co-ordination of all responding resources takes place under the aegis of the Senior Fire Officer. The safety of members of the public, as well as the fire authority’s own personnel, is a primary consideration in all fire-fighting situations.

My Department is assigned the “Lead Government Department” role for fire emergencies. On behalf of the Department, the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) exercises the role of monitoring and responding at national level to incidents of fire as considered appropriate.  The NDFEM’s Assessment Team has been monitoring the incidents of wildland fires and has been liaising with the relevant fire authorities in this regard.

The NDFEM undertakes a liaison role also, in accordance with pre-agreed procedures, for channelling requests from fire authorities for Defence Forces support, including for deployment of Air Corps helicopters, where requested.

Where a situation merits, or where a fire authority indicates that the local level response is overwhelmed, national level co-ordination may be invoked to support the local response.  Where judged as necessary and appropriate, the ‘Lead Government Department’ may convene a National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) to bring a whole of Government support to bear in assisting the local response as necessary.

While recognising the difficulties and dangers posed to local communities by the recent spate of wildland fires, the NDFEM Assessment Team has not considered it appropriate to move to the stage of convening a National Emergency Co-ordination Group, as the relevant Departments and agencies have been working well with fire services to deal with the fires at a local level.

The NDFEM Assessment Team will continue to monitor further incidents of gorse and forest fires at a local level and will make decisions whether or not to convene a NECG on a case-by-case basis, in conjunction with relevant local authority fire services.