Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1008. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if Fire Service resources are deemed adequate in County Kildare to cope with a major emergency; if a review will take place following the recent bad weather event; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11790/18]

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

Fire Services are provided by local authorities under the provisions of the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. In 2014, all local authorities undertook an appraisal of their current fire services arising from the publication of the “Keeping Communities Safe” policy document in 2013. This appraisal involved the local authorities undertaking an Area Risk Categorisation process which resulted in the fire risk grading in each fire station area being defined, with a matching fire service response capability bench-marked against the national response standards set out for the first time in Keeping Communities Safe. This process was subject to an external validation process which was reported and published by my Department in 2016 in a report titled “Local Delivery – National Consistency”.

In relation to major emergencies, each local authority has a “Major Emergency Plan” in place which describes the hazard identification and risk assessment process undertaken by the local authority and the arrangements in place to mobilise the full resources of the local authority and to co-ordinate their activities with the other principal response agencies.

Arising from the recent spell of severe weather, each local authority will be reporting in due course to their Council members on their response activities over this period. Local authority reports will also be supplied to my Department where they will be considered and relevant information included in the national review report. It is the normal practice for my Department to compile a review report following an emergency event in order to identify points of success which may be consolidated and weaknesses which can be addressed, both at local and national level.