Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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404. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the relevant departments will work together to explore how members of the fire service can supplement the work of the ambulance service in response to emergency call outs and; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29244/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Service Acts, 1981 and 2003.

The National Directorate for Fire & Emergency Management (NDFEM), within my Department, supports fire authorities by establishing fire service policy, setting national standards for fire safety and fire service provision, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for priority infrastructural projects.

Fire services are provided in Ireland by local authorities in accordance with the provisions of the Fire Services Acts, 1981 & 2003. Under this legislation, there are 31 local authorities which provide fire prevention and fire protection services for communities through 27 service delivery structures.

The Department of Health is responsible for all aspects of public health policy. Responsibility for the provision of emergency medical services, including pre-hospital emergency care, rests with the HSE which operates the National Ambulance Service (NAS) and Emergency Departments in hospitals, in accordance with health sector legislation and national policy.

Some exploratory work has been undertaken to examine if the retained Fire Service could provide a first response to cardiac emergencies, on behalf of the Health Service Executive (HSE). This is in the context of the extensive coverage provided by fire stations across the country, and the availability of first responder trained staff with Automatic External Defibrillators in all fire stations.

Following a request from the HSE, the County and City Management Association (CCMA) are considering the possibility of Fire Services providing a response to cardiac emergencies, where NAS resources are not immediately available to respond. Retained Fire Services have indicated a willingness to provide a first response to cardiac emergencies.

Any proposal to formalise this assistance would require the development of appropriate clinical governance arrangements together with a formalised mechanism for full cost reimbursement to the local authority by the HSE, set in a service level agreement between each participating local authority and the HSE.