Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 May 2021
83. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on the fact that the second largest town in County Roscommon has had its fire service removed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22888/21]
View answer97. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has engaged with a local authority (details supplied) in relation to the loss of a service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22887/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 83 and 97 together.
The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Service Acts, 1981 and 2003. Furthermore, under the Local Government Act 2001, arrangements in relation to staffing in each local authority are the responsibility of the relevant Chief Executive of that Authority. My Department supports fire authorities through general policy setting and preparing legislation, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for priority infrastructural projects.
My Department was informed by Roscommon County Council in February 2017 that Castlerea Fire Station had been stood down because of internal staffing issues. Roscommon County Council, and its Chief Executive, as employers, sought to resolve the issues by pursuing grievance, disciplinary and mediation processes over a number of years. These efforts were unsuccessful and it was judged by Roscommon County Council that it was unsafe to mobilise this fire station to emergency incidents.
I understand that a decision was made earlier this year not to re-open Castlerea Fire Station and that the local authority members were informed accordingly. My Department is informed that fire risk in the area is being managed by an appropriate arrangement of fire cover response from the network of fire stations in the region, together with statutory and community fire safety measures.
It is important to note that the non-availability of any particular fire station does not mean that fire risk management, including fire service response, is diminished. The systemic approach to fire risk management, which has been the policy in use in this country for a more than a decade, has seen a welcome and steady downward trend in fire losses in Ireland. While each fire death is one too many, the fire death rate per million of population, averaged over three years, stands at 4.2, a figure which is one third of what it was 10 year ago.
