Stalled recruitment process in Dublin Fire Brigade is serious safety concern for citizens of Dublin

Labour Party Senator and spokesperson for Employment Affairs, Marie Sherlock has today (29th September) called on the Government and Dublin City Council to act with urgency to fix the stalled recruitment process in Dublin Fire Brigade.

Senator Sherlock said:

“The under-staffing in Dublin Fire Brigade means that there are on average 3-4 fire engines that cannot be deployed each day across Dublin City and Council. This is out of a total fleet of 21. This must be a serious cause of concern for all who live and work in Dublin.

“There have been long standing recruitment issues in Dublin Fire Brigade which came to a head last year when firefighters had to threaten industrial action to bring about change. This led to the Duffy agreement being made last February between Dublin City Council and unions which stipulated amongst other issues, that 90 fire fighters would be recruited in 2022, that there would be two training run in the first half of the year for firefighters and emergency service controllers and that a recruitment panel would be put in place.

“So far, 72 fire fighters have been trained out of the 90 and a recruitment competition has yet to commence for the 2023 intake. There is now a very strong view among firefighters that because of this stalled recruitment process, there is little or no likelihood of the necessary training courses commencing in early 2023.

“There are now very significant levels of frustration and distrust among firefighters and paramedics in Dublin Fire Brigade. Legitimate expectations that recruitment issues would be resolved this year have so far failed to materialise and the failure of the government to pay the €1000 pandemic recognition payment to Dublin Fire Brigade simply rubs salt in the wounds."