Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2026
522. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will take steps to ensure that Daingean Fire Station County Offaly is made operational (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32394/26]
View answerThe 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 Service Acts, 1981 & 2003. My Department supports fire authorities through general policy-setting and preparing legislation, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for priority infrastructural projects.
In 2010, my Department was informed by Offaly County Council that Daingean fire brigade was to be stood down. It is important to note that the non-availability of any fire station does not mean that fire risk management, including fire service response, is diminished. The systemic approach to fire risk management, which is the policy underpinning the delivery of fire services in Ireland, has seen a welcome and steady downward trend in fire fatalities.
Area Risk Categorisation (ARC) is a process used by the Irish Fire Service to identify and classify risk. This classification is based on several factors, including population density, land use and the built environment. ARC enables each fire service to match its risk profile with the appropriate operational resourcing, all of which is a matter for the Chief Executive.
Offaly County Council provides fire services from five fire stations at Birr, Clara, Edenderry, Ferbane and Tullamore. The response is codified in a formal Pre-Determined Attendance (PDA) profile that is validated by the Chief Fire Officer. Fire Service resources are deployed based on the PDA; those are the instructions of a Chief Fire Officer to the relevant Regional Communications Centre (RCC) for an initial fire service response to an emergency call. The concept of the ”next nearest appliance” ensures operational resilience by mandating if a primary fire station or its resources are unavailable, likely through response to a concurrent incident, the system automatically defaults to mobilise the next nearest resource regardless of any administrative boundary.
It should also be noted that fire authorities cooperate with each other as and when required, and on a regular basis, on several 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.
