Fire fighters raise concerns over breathing equipment

FIRE fighter chiefs could be set to make a dramatic U-turn on controversial new breathing equipment, after taking samples to Britain for urgent safety tests.

Fire fighters claim the packs are risking lives and may refuse to use them from tomorrow due to serious concerns over their and the public’s safety.

Last night many of the oxygen cylinders, which form part of the equipment for Dublin fire fighters, were removed from service.

The Irish Examiner understands the packs were sent by Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) management to the manufacturer’s European base on Tuesday night.

Dublin City Council, which speaks on behalf of management, refused to comment on any issue surrounding the equipment.

However, it is understood a sample of four packs were taken by Seán Cagney, DFB acting district officer, to Lancashire in Britain where US manufacturer Scott Safety’s European headquarters is situated.

Sources confirmed the tests were taking place on the packs. It is possible the almost 300 sets of the equipment bought in October may become obsolete.

Of those, 60 are not being used due to concerns from frontline workers caused by a series of “potentially catastrophic events”.

Despite claims from senior DFB official, Gerry Geraghty, last week that the matter was resolved, Ross MacCobb, national vice chairman of the Irish Fire and Emergency Services Association, said nothing had changed. He said eight incidents with “the potential to seriously injure or kill a fire fighter” have occurred since the equipment was introduced in October”.

This includes problems in Co Kerry, where some of the packs are also used, and Dublin, where masks have collapsed onto fire fighters faces due to a lack of air flow and “unexplained loss of pressure”.

Mr MacCobb said despite repeatedly raising frontline staff’s “questions, concerns and fears” over the dangerous situations with management, they were not satisfied adequate safety checks were in place.

As a result, he said the group would be forced to discuss refusing to use the equipment unless it can be assured of fire fighters’ and the public’s safety, with a decision on what action to take to be made by tomorrow evening.

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