I thank the Ceann Comhairle for permitting me to raise the threatened strike by firefighters in Dublin and throughout the country. I understand the Labour Court intervened in the dispute today and that discussions are now scheduled. I hope those discussions will lead to a resolution of the dispute, and I welcome the intervention of the Labour Court.
We tend to take the fire services for granted until we need them. Firefighters risk their lives every day on our behalf dealing with big and small fires, chemical spills, rescuing people, accidents and cleaning up the aftermath. A good fire service is an essential element in providing safety and security for our people. Over the years, people have become much more conscious of the dangers of fires. Modern society brings its own hazards – fuel storage depots, chemical factories, high rise buildings, underground car parks and many others.
The firefighters in Dublin have served strike notice and firefighters throughout the country have indicated support for their Dublin colleagues. The threatened withdrawal of fire services is a serious development with potentially disastrous consequences. The fire services depend on the training and skills of firefighters, skills that are not easily acquired. Even with the best will in the world, there is no adequate substitute for the skill and expertise of the fire services. No organisation can provide the same degree of security or cover. In the best of times and with the best will in the world, the Defence Forces simply do not have the personnel or the number of tenders to provide the level of cover required in a modern, busy city.
I do not want to go into the details of the dispute but it is well known that it involves a claim arising from the pay relationship between gardaí and firefighters which spans more than 30 years. However, there are other issues involved, specifically proposals by Dublin Corporation to reduce the number of appliances and personnel available to respond to incidents. I understand, for instance, that the corporation intends to reduce manpower in all single pump fire stations such as Tallaght, Rathfarnham, Finglas, Blanchardstown and Kilbarrack, while also reducing the number of staff on special aerial appliances. There is also a proposal to move one of the fire appliances from Donnybrook to Tallaght. I am concerned about this from the perspective of service to the public. Ten years ago a study of the Dublin fire service indicated that, compared with similar cities, it was under-resourced in equipment and personnel. Therefore, it is disturbing to hear proposals about the further reduction in personnel in the Dublin fire service, given the phenomenal growth of the city in the past ten years and the future anticipated growth.
It is also disturbing to hear of the transfer of appliances from one station to another – robbing Peter to pay Paul. Transferring the appliance from Donnybrook to Tallaght would leave Donnybrook with just one appliance. This is an area of high population with many institutions – hospitals, universities, the RDS, where major public events take place, and Lansdowne Road. There are also a huge number of residences, hotels and various places where public events take place.
I do not wish to get into the detail of the matters in dispute between the union and manage ment. However, in the public interest, the Minister should give some attention to what is happening and ensure that the standard of service and the equipment and personnel required to provide a safe fire service for the people is not diminished by short-term productivity measures which may comply with some pay agreement, but which may undermine the quality and safety of the Dublin fire service.
