The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Act, 1981 & 2003. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy and progressing legislation, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding support for equipment and priority infrastructural projects.
“Keeping Communities Safe - A Framework for Fire Safety in Ireland” (KCS), published in 2013, sets out Fire Service Policy. It concludes that local authorities are best positioned to continue to provide Fire Services in Ireland.
The provision of Fire Services by local authorities is based on a risk management approach of Area Risk Categorisation which involves an analysis of the nature of the fire hazards and the incidence and extent of fires which occur, as well as the fire protection measures in place. The current fire fatality rate per million of population, using a three year average, equates to 3.7 deaths per million of population. This figure is a third of what it was twenty years ago when it stood at 12.9 deaths per million of population. While every death is a regrettable tragedy, this metric positions Ireland among countries with very low fire fatality rates.
Fire authorities cooperate with each other as and when required, and on a regular basis, on a number of matters. For example, they are enabled by the Fire Services Act, 1981 & 2003 to assist each other and provide support on a ‘mutual-assistance’ basis, and this is the expected norm for Fire Services. There is a strong alignment of the Fire Services function within local authorities. Many of the functions delivered through local authorities, particularly the Building Control function, Emergency Management and the operation of Civil Defence are highly integrated with the delivery of Fire Services.
At national level, the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) was created within my Department in 2009 to give central direction and leadership for the fire and emergency management services. The 2009 arrangements put in place a management structure at central Government level with a clear mandate and visibility to develop national policy and to drive consistent achievement of quality fire services by local authorities. Under the system, responsibility for the day-to-day operation of Fire Services remains with the local authorities. However, the National Directorate’s mandate includes developing national policies and national standards, and supporting and overseeing their implementation at local level, under my direction.
Over the course of 2014/2015, the National Directorate’s Management Board's External Validation Group (EVG) visited every fire service in the country as part of an external validation process arising from the implementation of KCS. In April 2016, the Management Board published the first EVG Report titled “Local Delivery - National Consistency”. The report concluded that current fire service arrangements, as outlined, are working effectively to meet the challenges involved in trying to protect communities from fire and other emergencies.
A copy of this report is available on my Department's website at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/a23ce-external-validation-of-fire-services/
In 2020, the Management Board mandated NDFEM staff to undertake a review of the impact of Covid-19 on local authority Fire Service resilience and response, as well as on fire safety work and to look at Fire Services roles in supporting Covid-related emergency management.
This review was undertaken with each of the 27 fire services and three Regional Communications Centres. The review was undertaken by an NDFEM team, working in association with Chief Fire Officers and their staff. A composite report on themes related to the impact of Covid-19 on fire services was compiled and presented to the NDFEM Management Board in October 2020. The report noted the strong response by Fire Services across the country with very high levels of resilience.
The NDFEM Board approved a further EVG review to be undertaken in 2025. The NDFEM Board will report on the findings of this review in early 2026.
Given the EVG findings, and the conclusions of the follow up Capacity Review, the indications are that a good balance has been achieved in terms of national consistency and local delivery, with very effective leadership and management in evidence within the Irish Fire Services. The implementation of Keeping Communities Safe policy has enabled the delivery of Fire Services that can be adapted and implemented sensibly at local level.
