National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management

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http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/F...dy,20574,en.htm


Ministers Gormley and Finneran announce new central arrangements for the promotion and delivery of Fire and Emergency Services

23/06/09

Mr. John Gormley, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, and Mr. Michael Finneran TD, Minister for Housing and Local Services today (22nd June 2009) announced the establishment of a new National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management.


The new Directorate will be responsible for ensuring high quality and standards in fire services across the country.

Under the new system, responsibility for the day-to-day operation of fire services will remain with the local authorities. However the new directorate will develop national policies and standards to be implemented by the services at a local level.

The Directorate will be an open and transparent system which will engage with all the relevant stakeholders and will be open to suggestions and guidance from the various stakeholders.

The new arrangements are intended to put in place a solid management structure at central government level with a clear mandate and visibility to develop national policy and drive consistent achievement of value for money services by local authorities, while not interfering with existing and appropriate political accountability.

“The establishment of the National Directorate now is intended to address conclusively the main Farrell Grant Sparks recommendation on revised institutional arrangements at central Government level” said Minister Gormley.

The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management will be a tri-partite structure with a Management Board, a Consultative Committee and a National Director who will lead the Department Section. The three components will operate as inter-dependent elements of a functioning National Directorate.

“The creation of the new Directorate is intended to build on the strong linkage between local and central Government for the development, rollout and monitoring of programmes and initiatives for the delivering of a top class fire service” said the Minister.

“The National Directorate will have the mandate, the visibility and the wherewithal to the job required, with appropriate political accountability through my Department's direct participation” said the Minister. The Department will have the key policy and standards role supported by and interacting with the local government system at operational level, with oversight and implementation being driven through the Management Board and Consultative Committee components.

The Management Board will provide for integration of different strands of service management, with appropriate external members to balance it. It will establish priorities, support policy-making and oversee consistent implementation of nationally-determined priorities and policies.

Management Board Membership

Chair
Mr. David J. O’Callaghan

Members
Mr. John Tierney City Manager Dublin City Council
Mr. Martin Riordan County Manager Cork County Council
Ms. Martina Maloney County Manager Galway County Council
Mr. Ned O’Connor County Manager South Tipperary County Council
Mr. Joe Crockett County Manager Kilkenny County Council
Mr. Conn Murray County Manager Louth County Council
Mr. Michael Raftery Chief Fire Officer Galway County Council
Mr. Brian Sweeney Chief Officer Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service
Mr. Pat Corcoran IIF Committee Chair Irish Insurance Federation
Mr. Brian Spain Principal Officer Office of Emergency Planning
Mr. Des Dowling Assistant Secretary DOEHLG
Mr. Seán Hogan Fire Adviser DOEHLG


The Consultative Committee will provide a forum for representation/consultation with stakeholder interests. The Consultative Committee membership will reflect the core business areas of the Directorate and is still under consideration.


ENDS


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Editors’ Notes


Fire and Emergency Services are provided by fire authorities (local authorities) as provided for in the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003. The role of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is to promote and support the development of the fire authorities’ fire and emergencies services. This includes the provision of capital funding for fire stations, appliances, equipment and communications facilities.

The most recent fire service development programme sponsored and promoted by the Department was the Fire Services Change Programme (2005-2007). Following the conclusion of the FSCP, there was a need to ensure that the programmes that were developed during the two years of the FSCP were mainstreamed into the fire service provided by fire authorities, to continue development of the remaining elements to implementation stage and to decide on whether revised structures and arrangements are necessary for further service development.

The Farrell Grant Sparks report, Review of Fire Safety and Fire Services in Ireland (2002), was commissioned in 2000 in response to the changing role of the fire services in Ireland, the impact of the economic climate on fire service provision and the relevant changes that were happening internationally. The review process took place in 2001 and the report was published in March 2002.

The establishment of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management represents the next step in strengthening the process to provide central Government direction and leadership for the fire and emergency services. It follows the implementation of the Fire Services Change Programme (2005-2007), the Major Emergency Development Programme (2006-2008), amendments to the Fire Services Act, 1981, increased capital investment in fire and emergency infrastructure and the restructuring of the senior fire service management (2006) since the publication of the Farrell Grant Sparks Report in 2002. Apart from the structure at central Government level, these developments addressed the major recommendations of the Farrell Grant Sparks Report which set out a comprehensive set of recommendations for the future development of the Fire Safety and Fire services in Ireland