Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 February 2024
70. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of funding requests his Department received from Tipperary County Council towards purchasing additional fire appliances in the years 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024; of the funding requests received, the number that were approved per year in tabular form. [9540/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department supports fire authorities by establishing policy, setting national standards for fire safety and fire service provision, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for priority infrastructural projects and the procurement of essential frontline fire appliances, ancillary vehicles and equipment.
Fire services are provided in Ireland by local authorities in accordance with the provisions of the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. Under this legislation, 31 local authorities provide fire prevention and fire protection services for communities through 27 service delivery structures. Local authority fire services are delivered by approximately 3,300 local authority staff engaged at 217 fire stations nationwide, with 16 of these stations staffed by full-time firefighters, a further 4 are mixed full-time and retained, and 197 are staffed by retained firefighters.
In December 2020 I announced a five-year Fire Services Capital Programme under which a total of 35 “Class B” fire appliances were allocated across the fire authorities. It was envisaged that through an extension of that framework an additional allocation of appliances would be proposed for the period 2024-2025. Unfortunately, due to COVID and issues in the market such as the lengthening of supply chains and cost inflation, the previous framework became unviable economically for the commercial partners. My Department re-engaged with the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) and established a new framework for the provision of fire appliances. The three successful tenderers were HPMP Ltd. (Carlow), Sídheán Teo. (Galway), and Emergency One (UK) Ltd. (Scotland). The new Framework commenced with the awarding of contracts for the supply of the revised number of 40 “Class B Fire” appliances, at a cost of some €20.8 million, from 18 October 2023, to be allocated across the country's 27 Local Authority and Rescue Services. It is envisaged that contracts will be divided in three tranches in 2023/2024. Tipperary Fire and Rescue Service have been allocated 2 appliances under this programme.
The previous joint procurement programme which ran from 2018-2020 supplied 23 new appliances to 20 local authorities at a cost of approximately €9.2 million. Tipperary Fire and Rescue Service received 2 appliance under this programme.
|
Scheme |
Appliance/Equipment |
Value |
Status |
|
Fire Appliance Joint Procurement Capital Programme 2018-2020 |
2 Class B Appliances |
€400k each |
Delivered |
|
Fire Appliance Capital Programme 2023-25 |
2 Class B Appliances |
€520k each |
Approved |
In the years in question Tipperary Fire and Rescue Service also submitted requests for the following equipment and vehicles all of which were approved.
|
Year |
Equipment/Vehicle |
Value |
Status |
|
2022 2022 |
Fognail Extinguishing Equipment and Smoke Curtain Air Lifting Bags Emergency Rescue Equip |
€33,756 €12,530.75 |
Approved and Delivered Approved and Delivered |
|
2023 |
3 Modular Solutions |
€80,550 |
Approved |
|
2023 |
2 Panel Van Vehicles and 2 Crew Cab 4WD's |
€184,938 |
Approved |
|
2022 |
Equipment for HVR/Agri/Forestry and Large Plant Incidents |
€141,270 |
Approved |
|
2024 |
BA Drager Cylinders and Covers |
€38,500 |
Approved |
