COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, December 12, 2022

QUESTION NO.24

QUESTION: Councillor C. O'Connor

To ask the Chief Executive to confirm arrangements he has put in place to deal with emergencies over the Christmas period and will he make a statement? 

REPLY:

South Dublin County Council has a number of plans in place to assist in the response to emergencies. In addition to the Winter Maintenance Plan, which is focused primarily on works to keep our roads open during cold spells, a Flood Emergency Plan and a Severe Weather Plan outline mobilisation procedures and regional coordination protocols for responding to the varied challenges presented by an Irish winter. In the event of a Status Orange (or above) weather warning, the Severe Weather Assessment Team (SWAT), comprised of senior operational personnel from across the organisation, meets to assess preparedness for a given weather event and to agree appropriate actions.

An emergency service is provided where members of the public seeking assistance in an emergency can contact the Council's out of hours emergency number at 01 4574907, and the Council has maintenance crews to deal with emergencies over the Christmas period.

In the event of severe adverse weather the elected members, the public and business community will be kept advised of the ongoing situation using the Council’s Website and social media accounts

The Winter Maintenance Plan for roads includes salt gritting of primary and secondary routes to aid in safe travel during icy conditions. Additionally, salt storage bins can be found in strategic local locations where conditions have been icy in previous years but where gritting is impractical. Drainage maintenance and the clearing of trash screens at rivers and streams to prevent local flooding will continue as usual

Winter Ready information is available on both South Dublin County Council's website and the national website http://winterready.ie/, where useful guidance is provided for members of the public in dealing with adverse weather conditions.