Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would like to raise the issue of Dublin Fire Brigade, whose firefighters and ambulance crew are currently at risk of exhaustion due to staff shortages. In fact, twice in the past ten days Dublin Fire Brigade was called to my road. In one instance it was for a fire and the second was an accident. In the second case a young man waited an hour lying on the ground in the rain for an ambulance and the fire brigade to arrive. This is happening because Dublin Fire Brigade is operating with an over-reliance on overtime, and on certain watches there are insufficient staff available to allow for the full complement of fire tenders to be deployed.

Dubliners are immensely proud of our fire brigade service. One only has to ask the families of the Stardust victims about this. Fire brigade staff were the first responders to that tragedy and have continued to support the families for more than 40 years in their fight for justice. It is incredible that firefighters protested outside Dublin City Council last night because of the conditions they are working under and staff shortages.

I would like the Leader of the House to write to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to ask how he will ensure we have a full complement of Dublin Fire Brigade fleets and how he will ensure they will remain fully operational while we are waiting on additional firefighters to be recruited. As I said, it should not be the case that firefighters are protesting. They should instead be looking after the safety of people in Dublin. It is especially essential that we know that our fire brigade is fully equipped and supported, in particular coming up to Halloween.