Data on fire service performance ‘limited compared to other countries’

Seán McCárthaigh Ballyconnell, Co Cavan

The Chief Fire Officers’ Association (COFA) heard that data on the performance of the 37 fire services operated by local authorities is very limited.

Leitrim County Council chief fire officer Finian Joyce told the COFA conference that there are only three national performance indicators for the fire services which have only been collected since 2002.

Mr Joyce said the situation did not compare favourably with the range of measurements used in other countries, such as Britain, where fire services collect data on 20 different points of information, including fatalities, smoke alarms and malicious calls as part of an even more comprehensive system of evaluation.

In Ireland, performance is only measured on mobilisation and call-out times, and the number of fire safety certificates issued. Results show that the majority of fire brigades arrive at the scene of an incident between 10 and 20 minutes after the alarm being raised.

However, the response time in up to 20% of cases in some regions takes longer than 20 minutes. The findings reveal the average mobilisation time for fire stations operated by part-time crews is between four and six-and-a-half minutes.

Mr Joyce claimed current measurements were too few and fail to indicate the effectiveness and efficiency of the fire services. “The scope and extent of the indicators as devised for the fire service are minimalist, to say the least, and shows little understanding of the full range of services and functions provided,” he said.

Mr Joyce also warned that such results did not allow for fair comparisons between different areas as there was no national strategic plan which set targets.

“Performance measurement is still very much at the initial stages in local government and is lacking clarity in some areas,” he added.