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Fire Service Issues

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 June 2013

Wednesday, 12 June 2013

Questions (149)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

Question:

149. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if an adequate risk assessment has been done for the Keeping Communities Safe document; the reason local fire authorities are not being merged into one overseeing body; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28319/13]

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Written answers

I have recently published Keeping Communities Safe (KCS) as national policy for the future direction of fire services in Ireland. The document was prepared by the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management in my Department through a collaborative process, which included consultation with stakeholders. The intention is to ensure that Ireland continues to manage its fire risk effectively in accordance with current international best practice and that the successful approaches to fire safety, under which the level of fire fatalities recorded in 2012 was the lowest for four decades, are extended and consolidated.

With a view to developing a common understanding in relation to terminology in risk management, relevant definitions are set out in KCS. In particular, the term "“Risk Assessment" as used in KCS is one stage of the risk management process. The National Directorate prepared a series of Task Analyses to show how the initial fire crew, including the incident commander, would work to safely undertake tasks normally associated with the range of fire scenarios set out in Appendix A to the document.

Under Section 19 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work legislation, the phrase 'risk assessment' has a particular meaning, and requires employers to carry out risk assessments of their work activities. Guidance on relevant aspects of risk assessment for fire services, and meeting this legislative requirement, is provided in the Fire Services Ancillary Safety Statement (generic risk assessments), in the Fire Service National Incident Command System (dynamic risk assessments) and Fire Service Standard Operational Guidance (SOGs) (specific situational risk assessments). Individual fire services will prepare any additional risk assessments, guided by the Task Analyses referred to above, which may be necessary to comply with their statutory responsibilities as employers on foot of changes arising from implementation of KCS. Specifically on firefighter safety, KCS recognises the importance of the twin duties on fire authorities under the Fire Services and Safety, Health and Welfare at Work legislation. An updated Fire Services Safety Management System (SMS) support document is being developed as part of the KCS implementation process (a draft is currently out with stakeholders as part of the consultation process) to ensure that occupational health and safety in fire services is fully aligned with international best practice and the recently adopted local government SMS policy.

The Keeping Communities Safe development process also considered the structures appropriate for delivering effective and efficient fire services to communities. Ultimately, it was considered that it is appropriate that fire services remain a local government service, with appropriate local political accountability. However, while fire authorities based on the principal local authorities remain, KCS provides for a move to a "shared services" structure, involving a reduction in the number of actual fire services from 30 to 21. This solution will provide for efficiencies and consistency, and evolved from a detailed consideration of options. It was noted that there is a very good fit between the roles provided currently by local authority fire services and the local government system.

The new structures provide for service delivery units based mainly around population groups between 120,000 to 200,000 persons. There will be fourteen single authority and seven multi-authority shared services arrangements. The policy also includes a strong regional dimension based on the current eight major emergency regions to achieve/ co-ordinate efficient service provision and "mutual assistance" and support among fire services. The KCS document is available on my Department's web site at www.environ.ie.

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