Written answers
Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government
Fire Service
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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918. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the support and resources provided by both his Department and from central Government to local authorities across the State to help them implement the WRC agreement reached between a trade union (details supplied) the Government, an organisation and on the pay and working conditions of retained firefighters. [11892/25]
James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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In December 2022 Minister O’Brien published a review of the retained Fire Service that made thirteen recommendations to improve recruitment and retention in the Fire Service. The Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) is leading on the implementation of a new service delivery model aimed at increasing the work-life balance for retained firefighters, supporting more flexible working arrangements.
All local authorities are implementing the terms of a September 2023 Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) agreement with retained firefighters that now provides guaranteed fixed minimum earnings in excess of €22,000 for new recruits (as 1 March 2025). It should be noted that:
- all local authorities are currently transitioning Retained Fire Services payments structure from quarterly to fortnightly payments, with an expectation of full implementation by Q2 2026;
- an equivalent of 40 hours fixed per annum Community Fire Safety (CFS) payment is paid annually;
- retained firefighters have access to an additional 40 hours annually for undertaking Community Fire Safety activities (a bank of 480 hrs per station)
- Standard hourly pay rates apply from 08:00 to 19:59 Mon to Fri.
- premium pay (double time) hourly pay rates apply from 20:00 to 07:59 and weekends/public holidays
- two hours per week (station drills) are paid at the premium rate (double time).
- retained firefighters are free to hold full or part-time primary employment.
- Retained firefighters are guaranteed to receive minimum attendance payments equivalent to 75 hours at the basic rate annually, regardless of station activity.
- the variability in pay after the primary fixed elements (i.e. retainer, weekly drill, fixed CFS payment) is dependent on the number of incidents in both the station and the actual number that each individual firefighter attends.
This model provides for the option, while placing no obligation on retained firefighters, to attend incidents on their week-flexible. This is equivalent to a 50% reduction in incident attendance obligations from the pre-WRC agreement position.
A national standard level of 12 crew per retained fire station has been established, with an appropriate business case required for numbers above this, dependent on operational need and fireground risk. This rise in crewing numbers equates to an approximate increase of 20% in retained firefighter numbers from the pre-WRC agreement position.
The recruitment of additional retained firefighters is helping to build higher levels of capacity and resilience in our retained fire service. These measures strengthen both the response capability and fire safety across the communities served by a network of 201 retained fire stations.
The progress achieved to date has been underpinned by the provision of approved Exchequer funding to support implementation of the WRC agreement. Funding to a maximum of €8 million in 2023, €26.8 million in 2024, and €39 million in 2025 has been allocated to meet the uplift in costs to the local authorities of the revised model of retained fire service provision.
My Department will continue to work closely with all local authorities to support the implementation of the WRC mandated improvements to the conditions of retained firefighters.
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