€500 call-out charges may cost lives, firefighters warn

FIREFIGHTERS have warned that hefty new call-out charges could cost lives as people try to tackle blazes themselves to save money.

A minimum fee of €500 will be charged when the fire brigade is called out to attend a fire in Dublin city or county from next Monday, but costs could run to thousands as extra charges are added depending on the number of tenders used and the time spent at incidents.

The decision to start charging leaves Cork as the only county in the country to provide call-outs for free but it is the scale of the fees in Dublin rather than the principle of charging that has caused dismay.