Fire Service

Wednesday, 28 May 2014

Questions (93)

Seán Fleming

Question:

93. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will list the 21 new service delivery units following the realignment of the fire service structures; if he will list the areas covered by each of these new delivery units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23536/14]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

In February 2013 I published Keeping Communities Safe (KCS) as the national policy for the future direction of fire services in Ireland. KCS sets out an overall systemic approach to the objective of reducing the number of fires and consequent annual loss, based on a risk management approach to fire safety. Following an in-depth examination of a number of different service delivery options, it was considered appropriate that fire services remain a local government service, with appropriate local political accountability. However, while fire authorities remain based on the principal local authorities, KCS provides for a move to a 'shared services' structure, involving a reduction in the number of actual fire services from 30 to 21, with 14 single fire authorities and 7 'shared services'.

A full list of these can be found in the following table. Further information, including a map of the future service delivery units, can be found at Chapter 3 of the main KCS policy document which is available on my Department's website at: http://www.environ.ie/en/Community/NationalDirectorateforFireandEmergencyManagement/PolicyDocuments/.

Local Authority

14 large population areas

Mayo

Wicklow

Kildare

Wexford

Cork County

Cork City

Kerry

Clare

Louth (incl Dundalk & Drogheda)

Meath

Donegal

Tipperary

Limerick

Waterford

7 “shared service” basis

Cavan/Monaghan

Longford/Westmeath (includes Athlone Fire Auth.)

Carlow /Kilkenny

Laois/Offaly

Roscommon/Sligo/Leitrim

Galway City & County

Dublin City Council/South Dublin County Council/ Fingal/Dunlaoghaire-Rathdown

The integration of fire services in Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford has been successfully advanced and this experience provides a basis for developing the recommended 'shared services' arrangements among fire authorities. It is envisaged that the revised structure will be in place nationally by end-2015.