Members of Dublin Fire Brigade have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action in a dispute about changes to the way in which calls to the emergency services are handled.
Unions representatives claim the Department of Housing and Local Government has failed to engage with them on the issue.
Changes to the computer-assisted dispatch (CAD) system are being introduced on a phased basis across the country but Siptu, which represents firefighters in DFB, said they raised concerns about the safety implications of the proposed changes with the department as far back as October 2022.
Siptu organiser Geoff McEvoy said that despite a commitment from the department that there would be further engagement, a letter from the union to the Minister, James Browne, in January of this year and a meeting with the chief executive of Dublin City Council early in the summer, no meaningful consultation has taken place.
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He said that to contemplate proceeding with the changes without engaging with the frontline staff delivering services would be “not only arrogant and insulting but also reckless”.
In addition to providing all firefighting services in the city, DFB operates about a dozen ambulances and all of its firefighters are trained paramedics. Firefighting appliances are sometimes used to respond to urgent medical emergencies, which, Mr McEvoy said, represent a large part of the service’s overall workload.
Concerns have been raised on a number of occasions about the existence of two separate ambulance services in the Dublin area – one operated by the DFB, the other by the National Ambulance Service – but co-operation between the two is said to have improved over the past decade.
There is a concern within the workforce that the changes being proposed to call-out responses by the department, which do not include ambulance services, will negatively affect DFB’s ability to react to medical emergencies.
“Our members are seriously concerned that the proposed implementation of this new CAD system will severely undermine the effectiveness of emergency services in the Dublin area,” said Mr McEvoy.
Siptu’s DFB convener, Luke McCann, said: “The department wants every fire brigade on one national CAD system. The problem is this system will only cover fire and rescue calls, not ambulance services. Its extension to Dublin will have severe consequences, because Dublin Fire Brigade also provides vital ambulance and paramedic services.”
No date for an implementation of the change to the Dublin region has been announced by the department, and the industrial action being envisaged, which was backed by 97 per cent of Siptu members who voted, involves non-co-operation with the changes. An escalation of the action is understood to have backing if no engagement takes place.
The department was approached for comment.
