asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state (a) the total active strength of the Dublin City fire brigade, and (b) the total number of persons trained and ascertained to be available for fire fighting duties in the City of Dublin in the event of a war emergency.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Fire Fighting.
Major de Valera
The total active strength of the Dublin City fire brigade is 117 officers and men engaged on a wholetime basis and 15 officers and men engaged on a part-time basis. The second part of the question relates to civil defence which is a function of the Minister for Defence to whose reply to the Deputy on the 1st inst. I would refer. I understand that the figure of 7,929 for trained air raid precaution personnel in Dublin given in that reply included 434 trained members of the former auxiliary fire service.
Major de Valera
Whose function is it to see that adequate arrangements are made for fire fighting if there should be need for it?
The local authority, in the first instance.
Major de Valera
Will the Government do nothing further in the matter? Will the Minister for Local Government do nothing further to augment the fire brigade?
I do not know what the Deputy's point is.
Major de Valera
I think the figure that the Minister gave was 117 officers and men for the whole of the City of Dublin.
Plus the 15 officers and men engaged on a part-time basis.
Major de Valera
That is still only 132. Will the Minister not consider arranging for a possible emergency expansion of that figure, or are we to drift along without doing anything at the moment?
I have answered the Deputy and told him that the other matter relates to civil defence and is a function of the Minister for Defence. I may say also that when the auxiliary fire service was disbanded, there were 358 trained and available for fire fighting duties. There is no information as to how many of these are now available for fire fighting duties. The Minister for Defence answered on the 1st inst. a similar question by the Deputy in relation to air raid precaution personnel as a whole in certain cities. He said that the maximum strength of air raid precaution personnel in Dublin during the last emergency was 7,929. This included 434 auxiliary fire service personnel. He said he did not know how many of these were now available, and that the city manager had been asked to find out.
Major de Valera
Whose responsibility will it be, the Minister for Local Government's or the Minister for Defence's, to provide for this important aspect of civil defence?