Part-time firefighters face penalty points for rapid responses

PART-TIME firefighters who break the speed limit while driving to an emergency are not exempt from penalty points.

The National Retained Firefighters Association (NRFA) has criticised the lack of provision for its 1,900 members, who provide the majority of fire service coverage around the country.

Three weeks ago, a part-time firefighter was caught by a speed camera while responding to a call-out for a road traffic accident.

"The gardaí at the accident said it was gone into the system and there was nothing they could do about it. The man is in limbo at the moment, waiting to see if he will get penalty points," said NRFA chairman John Gavigan.

Full-time firefighters respond to emergencies from their fire station and can travel at high speeds for emergencies in the station fire tender. But when retained firefighters are contacted on their beepers, they must first get to the station in their own cars.

"We can't get to the fire station without breaking the law, not if people want us to respond in the time they want. We're not allowed to use a blue light, we just have our ordinary cars. Nobody ever thought of this," Mr Gavigan said.

The NRFA has made representations to the Government on behalf of the firefighter concerned but has not received a response.

In a separate development, retained firefighters have been granted improved retirement payments to end a long-running dispute.

Last October, the part-time firefighters voted in favour of a national strike, but then agreed to let an expert group resolve the issue. Both SIPTU which negotiated on behalf of the firefighters and the Local Government Management Services Board agreed that the group's findings would be binding.

This group has now decided that part-time firefighters, who are not paid a pension, should be given a gratuity payment of one year's salary for every eight years of service.

This is less than the firefighters' demand for one year's salary for every five years of service, but greater than the existing rate of one for ten.

The deal is backdated to April 2001, meaning that retained firefighters who recently retired will also benefit.

"For some of the guys who have retired, it is a few bob for them. But they have given a very good service to the country," SIPTU national industrial secretary Matt Merrigan said.

The retirement age has also been extended from 55 to 58.