COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, October 13, 2008

QUESTION NO.21

QUESTION: Councillor T. McDermott

To ask the Manager how the priorities for resources of Fire Services, provided to SDCC by Dublin City Council, were established, through the unprecedented demands created by recent flooding, and would he make a statement on the matter to reassure residents that the needs of South Dublin County were not compromised by demand in the Dublin City area?

REPLY:

The Fire service is provided to South Dublin County Council on an agency basis by Dublin City Council. The Service operates on a regional basis covering the area of Dublin City and County. South Dublin is primarily served by the fire station at Belgard Road with backup provided predominantly by Dolphin’s Barn and Rathfarnham.

In correspondence with the Chief Fire Officer from time to time, the Council has been given assurances that the requirements of the County are being constantly monitored and should there be need for improvement, adjustments will be made to the service provided to the County.

 In January 2001 having regard to the unprecedented level of population growth and domestic and commercial development in the South Dublin area the existing fire station in Tallaght was upgraded to a two pump station.

 Over the past 3 years fire appliances have attended to over 15,600 incidents in the county area.  These incidents consist of domestic fires, car fires, road traffic accidents, small fires (bins, skips etc) and a wide variety of other incidents at which emergency assistance is required.

 In addition to two fire appliances there is also an emergency ambulance based in Belgard Road.  All Dublin firefighters are also fully trained paramedics. In 2007 over 12,800 medical incidents were dealt with by Dublin Fire Brigade Ambulances in the South Dublin County Area.

 Proposals are at an advanced stage for the construction of a new fire station at Belgard Road.  When the new fire station is completed and fully operational, there will be an opportunity to develop the site of the existing station.  Currently there is increasing demand to provide facilities in the areas of community fire safety, emergency planning and civil defence and these issues will be factored into future development plans.

The level of resources, fire cover and response times are monitored on an ongoing basis by Dublin Fire Brigade.  Despite the increase in population over the last number of years, the number of fire and rescue responses by the Fire Brigade over a five-year period has remained virtually static.

Dublin Fire Brigade in conjunction with the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government are currently procuring a Risk Based Analysis System, which will assist in carrying out a detailed fire cover study for the region in the near future.  The elected Members will be informed of the outcome of the study when it becomes available.

The Council is satisfied with the standard of service provided to the County by the Dublin Fire Service and is also satisfied that the needs of the County were not compromised by the demands of the City area during the recent flooding events.