Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 June 2013
342. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the provisions that will be made for the wider Blanchardstown area, Dublin, in view of the provision in the Keeping Communities Safe document to make the Blanchardstown fire appliance available to answer calls in the Kildare area. [29227/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI 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.
“Keeping Communities Safe” (KCS) stipulates that the nearest available resource (in terms of speed of arrival) should be deployed to emergency incidents irrespective of administrative boundaries.
It is expected that each fire service will undertake a review in the context of the recommendations contained in “Keeping Communities Safe” and where any changes are required; decisions on these will be for the relevant local management team to make.
