Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 16 Oct 1991

Vol. 411 No. 1

Adjournment Debate. - Fire Safety in Prisons.

Mr. Flanagan

I am pleased that this matter was selected for the adjournment debate on the first night of the new session. I thank the Minister of State for coming in to reply and I hope to get an assurance on the matters I am about to raise.

Prisons are an unfortunate necessity in society but their very existence demands a certain level of protection for prison officers and staff in the confines of the institution. Last July a fire took place at Portlaoise Prison. It could have had disastrous consequences for those employed there. Twenty-seven members of the prison staff were hospitalised following the fire. A prisoner set fire to a mattress in his cell and it was a carefully designed effort to upset the prison regime. He added some toxins, paints and solvents to the fire and it could have had serious consequences for those involved.

The incident underlined a serious problem in our prisons which I hope will be addressed by the Minister for Justice at the earliest opportunity. I question whether adequate and essential equipment is available to the prison staff to deal with such occurrences. I wish to know the nature and level of equipment available with specific reference to breathing apparatus, fire extinguishers and materials to deal with toxins and so on. Is there any fire drill or training afforded to prison officers prior to taking up positions in the prisons? Is there adequate protective clothing available to prison staff in the event of an emergency?

Will the Minister undertake a total review in order to allay the fears of prison staff and the community at large having regard to the fact that many prisons, including Portlaoise Prison, are situated in residential areas? Is there an adequate level of radio contact available in prisons? I understand that in the case I mentioned the fire and the gases emitted rendered the radio equipment somewhat defective so that it was inadequate to deal with the communications process.

In the course of the summer months there have been a number of near riots — commonly called rooftop protests — in prisons. In the event of rooftop protests what sort of emergency plan is available to prison officers and staff? Is the Minister happy with the level of first aid training afforded to prison officers in the prisons and prior to their taking up their positions? Is the Minister happy that every prison has an annual fire review, leading to the issue of a fire certificate? Every public house in the country needs an annual fire certificate before getting a licence. Do we employ the same criteria in prisons? We have had major reports in relation to the Stardust, Whiddy and other fires. There is a serious question mark over the level of fire training available to prison officers, and in relation to the state of our prisons in the event of a fire. I hope the Minister will deal with the matter urgently.

Minister of State at the Department of Justice (Mr. N. Treacy)

On the evening of 22 July a prisoner in Portlaoise Prison set fire to a cell. Immediately, the general alarm was activated, the Fire Brigade were contacted and the fire was brought quickly under control.

Following from this event, it became apparent that certain procedures for dealing with such incidents required review and, as is normal in the aftermath of any incident in prisons, the Minister for Justice ordered an immediate review of procedures.

The overall review of the procedures is still ongoing and I know that, in view of the difficulty in marrying the aims of safety with that of security, particularly so, in the context of a prison environment, the House will appreciate the necessity of carefully examining and determining the appropriate action to be taken to ensure that many of these conflicting aims are carefully evaluated and as far as possible resolved.

Nevertheless, having identified certain deficiencies in procedures, which required immediate and urgent attention a revised fire and evacuation plan was drawn up. This plan, which will eliminate many of the deficiencies identified, has now been finalised and will very shortly be the subject of discussion with staff at local level.

Another feature, which the review has highlighted is the ineffectiveness of available breathing equipment, that is smoke masks, which are used for escape from heavily smoked areas. However, prototypes of a lightweight short term breathing apparatus, which gives a rescuer an independent air supply have become available on the European market for the first time during the past month. Different types are at present being studied by an evaluation group and they are expected to make a recommendation as to the most suitable option over the next month or so.

On the question of the equipment available in Portlaoise, I am happy to say that smoke detection, fire alarm and emergency lighting systems were installed some time ago in the circulation areas of Portlaoise Prison and indeed on the day in question all of these systems functioned properly. A fire fighting ring main is being installed in Portlaoise Prison.

On the general question of safety in prisons, the Minister for Justice and myself are fully committed to ensuring that the obligations imposed by the requirements of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1989, are complied with as far as reasonably practicable, in so far as they relate to prisons. Indeed, I am happy to say that in many respects, we are probably more advanced than most in making preparations for dealing with the many and complex problems, which face employers in this area; a fact which was fully recognised by prison officers representatives, following the Portlaoise incident. The proposals which are being developed in this context, take fully into account all aspects of safety including staff training.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the excellent staff in Portlaoise Prison for the effective manner in which they handled what was potentially a life threatening situation on the occasion in question.