Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 November 2021
378. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider introducing a medal for bravery for members of the fire service for both the full-time and retained service similar to the Scott medal for members of An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52667/21]
View answerPersons from all strands of society, including staff of local authority fire services, are eligible to be nominated for an award under the National Bravery Awards. Under this scheme, Deeds of Bravery Awards are given to people who have saved a human life involving personal risk to themselves.
Comhairle na Míre Gaile - the Council for the Recognition of Deeds of Bravery - is under the remit of the Minister for Justice and Equality, and it meets on an annual basis to consider and decide on the awards to be made. The scheme has been in operation since 1947, and awards are presented in four categories – gold, silver, bronze and a certificate of recognition. Further information relating to the Bravery Awards may be found at: www.bravery.ie. I understand that a number of members of the fire service from all over the country have been recognised under the Scheme for courageous acts.
I wish to take this opportunity to place on record my appreciation of the vital contribution made to our society by the men and women of the local authority fire services. Fire services place a huge emphasis on safety of their staff and are they trained to operate as teams, to evaluate each emergency situation and plan interventions in accordance with Standard Operational Guidance, to undertake appropriate risk assessments. Working under the direction of the Incident Commander, their focus is to ensure the safety and welfare of the public they serve, as well as their colleagues and themselves. Given the fire service's focus on teamwork, risk assessment and the structured approach to their work, I have no current plans to introduce a separate bravery awards scheme for individual members of local authority fire services staff; however, I am open to hearing the views of fire service representatives on the matter.
In 1992, a scheme of recognition of long service for personnel in the local authority fire services was launched. There are four categories of awards, marking service of ten years, twenty years, thirty years and forty years. The ten-year award is a certificate presented locally, while the twenty, thirty and forty year awards all involve the presentation of medals and certificates at a national ceremony. The twenty-year award is a medal bearing the traditional logo representation of the fire service - a helmet and crossed axes. The thirty-year award is a flame emblem. The forty-year award is a bar; both the emblem and bar attach onto the medal ribbon.
The first national awards presentation was organised in 1998 and is now held every two years at a national presentation ceremony. The latest of these ceremonies was held in November 2018, at which 288 fire service personnel were eligible for awards. Unfortunately, due to COVID, ongoing efforts to prevent the spread of infection and the need to protect the health of firefighters, these national ceremonies will be replaced by small local presentations until it is safe for us to gather in large groups again.
