Councillor condemns delay in forming new fire safety promotion unit
Up until the end of last year, Waterford City Councillor Mary Roche was chairperson of the Fire Safety Committee of the National Safety Council, working in public education in fire prevention and safety.
Environment Minister Dick Roche said a final decision on future promotion of fire safety would be made in the light of work underway on community fire safety under the department’s Fire Services Change programme.
But Cllr Roche was angry at the lack of any agency delivering the fire safety message now. Three members of one family died in an accidental fire in their home in Waterford city just last week.
“This has been a particularly poignant week in Waterford with the tragic events that unfolded in Ardmore Terrace. With the current transfer of the National Safety Council (NSC) into the Road Safety Authority, nothing has been done about continuing fire safety education, which was an equal part of the NSC’s remit but, obviously does not form part of the new authority’s portfolio.”
The budget for public education in this area used to be €500,000, with €100,000 of that figure coming from the Irish Insurance Federation. It is imperative public education continues, she added.
Provisional figures indicate almost 100 people were killed in domestic fires over the last two years — the vast majority in homes without smoke alarms. Over half of all fatal fires happen between 8pm and 8am.
The Fire Services Change Programme, initiated by Mr Roche in 2005, is dedicated to implementing key changes in the fire services.
“One of the key objectives is the development of fire safety measures to shift the current focus from responding to fires to preventing fires. The promotion of Community Fire Safety will be a major element of this. While the NSC has not yet been dissolved and is continuing to function, the department is already involved in preparations to continue the campaign to get a working fire alarm into every home,” a department spokesman said.
The department also aims to target particular segments of the community, such as the elderly, where smoke alarm ownership is lowest. The campaign will involve fire services, local authority services, health services, voluntary bodies and the private sector.
A primary schools fire safety programme will be rolled out to every school in the next school year.
