Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
661. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the criteria for deployment of auxiliary services to assist in fighting large gorse fires; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39822/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe provision of a fire service and the assessment of the requirements arising, including the nature of the fire hazards and the probable incidence and extent of fires, in its functional area is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under Section 10 of the Fire Services Act 1981.
Despite the best efforts of communities, wildland fires can occur in certain areas of the country during dry periods. The Department of Agriculture monitors conditions and issues colour-coded warnings during periods when wildland fire risk is high. Despite the success of "controlled burning" initiatives, regrettably, wildfires can also occur as a result of carelessness and deliberate setting of fires.
The priority of fire services in responding to wildland fires is the protection of life and health in local communities. Smoke can impact significantly on those with underlying breathing issues. An important secondary objective is working with local communities to try to protect infrastructure, houses and other property, as well as conservation areas, which are threatened. Fire services work with a range of bodies including National Parks and Wildlife Services and Coillte as well as farming communities to minimise damage where it is safe to do so. Fighting wildland fires is difficult and, in all cases, fire services will prioritise safety of community and emergency responders.
After the initial pre-determined attendance response to a report of a fire, all decisions on the mobilisation and deployment of further fire-fighting resources to fire situations are vested in the Senior Fire Officer or Incident Commander present at the scene.
As well as the normal fire service response arrangements through which an incident commander can request additional fire service resources in light of the situation, there are arrangements for mutual support across local authority fire services. Local authorities may mobilise their Civil Defence service volunteers to assist where deemed necessary and appropriate. Local authorities also engage directly with communities, in particular the farming sector who may be able to assist using tractors and water tankers in areas where normal fire service vehicles can't operate. Also, the response to wildfires is supported by well-established arrangements whereby local authority fire services may, through the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) in my Department and working with the Department of Defence, request the assistance of the Defence Forces. The support provided to local authority fire services by the Defence Forces in wildland fire-fighting includes soldiers being deployed to assist on the ground and aerial fire-fighting by Air Corp helicopters. This has been seen to be effective in many cases and is greatly appreciated. On-scene co-ordination of all responding resources takes place under the aegis of the Senior Fire Officer.
Considerable inter-agency efforts have been made to reduce the incidence of wildland fires, led by my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. As noted above his Department monitors conditions and issues wildland fire warning notices. That Department has led an inter-agency review which has helped enhance the mitigation of wildland/ gorse fires. It is imperative that communities and relevant bodies continue to work together to seek to prevent and control wildland fires which threaten life, property and eco-sensitive areas.
