Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 June 2020
1170. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to a report (details supplied) that stated that the retained fire service was not fit for purpose; and his plans to ensure that the proposals will now be implemented. [8440/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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. 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.
The Farrell Grant Sparks Report referred to by the Deputy was published in January 2002 and it represented a comprehensive review of fire services and fire safety in Ireland at that time. It is important to point out however, that it did not find the fire service or any part thereof, as unfit for purpose.
It did however, identify a number of areas where the fire service could be improved further. I have been informed, it was an important landmark in the development of fire services in Ireland and contributed towards a re-orientation and re-shaping of the fire service towards a more holistic approach with a greater emphasis on Community Fire Safety together with incident response.
Since the review was carried out there has been significant development of fire services in Ireland across a wide spectrum of areas. This included significant investment in and development of, infrastructure including fire stations, fire engines, equipment and training. The National Incident Command System, was established and standard operating guidance to support safe and effective operations have been implemented through the Fire Services Change Programme. The current service delivery structure was also introduced and the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) was established in my Department.
The NDFEM carried out a further significant review of fire services and fire safety in Ireland in 2012 and the Report "Keeping Communities Safe", was published in 2013. It sets out approaches across a number of areas, including: risk management; service delivery structures; fire safety; service response; dealing with large scale incidents; inter-agency work; major emergency management; quality assurance; performance reporting and implementation. The Review is available on my Department's website at the following link:
https://www.housing.gov.ie/local-government/fire-and-emergency-management/policy/keeping-communities-safe-framework-fire-safety
In 2016, an external validation on the implementation of "Keeping Communities Safe", concluded that the public are served well by fire services in Ireland. There has been a welcome downward trend in fires and other emergencies requiring fire service assistance over a number of years and a reduction in the incidence of loss of life in fire. The validation was supported by visits to all fire services throughout 2014 and 2015 and the conclusions applied equally to both full-time and retained services. A similar evaluation exercise is targeted for completion in 2021.
