Once more Bertie's g-string is showing

Victor

:mad:

http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/3010993?view=Eircomnet

Firefighters 'not prepared' to deal with terror atrocity
From:The Irish Independent
Wednesday, 14th April, 2004

IRELAND'S fire and emergency services are not prepared for a Madrid-type terrorist atrocity, fire chiefs have warned the Government.

And they are angry that the Government has refused to set up a National Fire Authority, the key recommendation in the Stardust Tribunal 20 years ago - and in the Government's own review of fire services last year.

The chilling warning about the lack of preparedness for a major terrorist attack is revealed in a letter to the Dept of the Environment from the Chief Fire Officers Association.

The association refers to the terrorist attacks on commuter trains in Madrid and the concerns expressed by leading politicians about the risk of further such attacks in other European countries.

The response in Madrid by the fire and emergency services included search-and-rescue and pre-hospital emergency treatment of casualties.

The chief fire officers responsible for services in each county said they now wanted to point out "the limited response capacity of the fire service in Ireland, in the event of a similar or other large scale event occurring here".

They referred to the damning Government review of fire and emergency services in Ireland carried out by leading consultants Farrell Grant Sparks.

This report concluded: "We do not believe that the current regime would stand up favourably under the inevitable scrutiny and investigation which would follow a major fire or other major emergency incident with multiple casualties.

"Given the exposures involved it is, we believe, fortunate that this strategic review is not being undertaken against the background of any particular major tragic incident or disaster."

The review called for the establishment of a National Fire Inspectorate to co-ordinate the service at a national and regional level. The Department of the Environment has decided not to implement this key recommendation.

The chief fire officers, in their warning to the Goverment, said that the service needs considerable development and modernisation to bring it into line with current international practice.

Michael Fitzsimons, association spokesman and chief fire officer for Kildare, yesterday accused Environment Minister Martin Cullen of dragging his heels on the key recommendation of the review.

"There is no central direction. Each local authority organises its fire services but national and regional co-ordination is needed. The whole thing has died a death. Nothing has happened," he added.

Referring to the Madrid atrocity, Mr Fitzsimons said that three trains were bombed at the same time and that if something similar happened in Ireland the fire services of up to four local authorities would be needed.

However, the fire chief points out that while each local authority had its own major emergency plan there was no regional structure whatsoever.

"If we had a Madrid or Lockerbie-type incident we would not be co-ordinated," added Mr Fitzsimons.

In their letter the fire chiefs said the review identified a range of weaknesses and shortcomings in the existing regime and recognised the pressing need for modernisation with new structures at national and local authority level.

Expressing concern at the lack of any progress in implementing recommendations, the chiefs said the input by the fire service into major emergency management was identified as "a key national policy issue".

Despite stark warnings about the need for a new agency to reorganise Ireland's emergency services in the wake of September 11, this has been dropped as a priority and will not now go ahead in the near future.

County and city managers have also expressed the view that there is no need for the authority and it is known that there is also resistance to the proposal from the Department of the Environment which currently has overall control.

Treacy Hogan Environment Correspondent