Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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1346. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to a report by an organisation (details attached) which found that island fire services are under-resourced, resulting in services being unable to maintain the safety of fire crew and island residents in emergency events; his plans to amend the Fire Services Act 1981 to ensure that all County Donegal islands are given identical status to the county's mainland fire stations and ensure that they are fully resourced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46751/17]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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1352. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to amend the Fire Services Acts in order to include a provision providing recognition to fire services on offshore islands and which denotes the importance of ensuring parity with fire services on the mainland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46834/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1346 and 1352 together.

The provision of a fire service in its area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs, the provision of a premises and the making of such other provisions as it considers necessary or desirable, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the provisions of the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003. My Department supports fire authorities through the setting of general policy, provision of training support and issue of guidance on operational and other related matters and the provision of capital funding.

In 2013, my Department published the national policy document "Keeping Communities Safe" (KCS), which is intended to keep fire safety and fire services in Ireland in line with international best practice.

KCS was developed to ensure that Ireland manages its fire risk effectively and continues the downward trend in the level of fire fatalities recorded annually. The current fire fatality rate per million of population, using a three year average, equates to 6.9 deaths per million of population and is almost half what it was fifteen years ago when it stood at 11.9 deaths per million of population. This level of fire fatalities positions Ireland among countries with lower fire fatality rates.

KCS is based on the systems approach which emphasises the further development and enhancement of fire prevention and fire protection as well as fire service response. KCS places an appropriate priority on isolated communities for Community Safety programmes to ensure that households in such areas are given advice on fire prevention and have smoke alarms and other appropriate fire protection facilities. These measures are regarded as the most effective means of ensuring the safety of persons in the case of fire. Community fire safety initiatives involving the provision of fire prevention advice and installation of smoke alarms, fire blankets and fire extinguishers were developed and provided for off-shore island communities and are maintained and renewed as appropriate by the relevant local authorities.

The provision of fire services by local authorities is based on a risk management approach which involves an analysis of the nature of the fire hazards and the incidence and extent of fires which occur as well as the fire protection measures in place. Donegal County Council has undertaken an area risk categorisation process and Arranmore is classified as E2, which is the very low fire risk categorisation.

I am satisfied that the existing arrangements for fire safety and fire fighting in isolated communities which are provided by fire authorities based on a risk management approach make the optimal use of available resources while providing a sufficient level of fire cover to these communities.

My Department has channelled significant investment to fire authorities over the last number of years and as a consequence, the high quality of Ireland’s fire service infrastructure is now widely acknowledged.

Donegal County Council, in partnership with my Department, has made substantial progress in modernising fire stations in Co Donegal and has replaced 12 of the 15 fire stations following investment of some €11 million by my Department over the last decade or so.

In February 2016, my Department announced a five-year Fire Services Capital Programme with an allocation of €40 million, based on the current annual €8 million allocation, to be used for the building or upgrading of prioritised Fire Stations, purchase of fire appliances and specialist equipment, an upgrade of the Communications and Mobilisation system and improvements to Training Centres.

A copy of the report referred to by the Deputy has been received in my Department. It is a matter for Donegal County Council to consider local fire cover needs and to submit any funding proposal to my Department for a new/refurbished Fire Station in its functional area as it sees fit. In considering any proposal, my Department will have regard to established national priorities for funding in this area and the totality of requests from fire authorities countrywide, as well as the value for money offered by the proposal.

I have no plans to amend the Fire Services Act to mandate that fire authorities provide fire stations in specific locations. This siting of fire stations is appropriately a local matter to be determined by the relevant fire authority.