Fire service billing HSE for call-outs to road accidents

The fire service is billing the HSE for call-outs to road traffic accidents where casualties have to be cut free from wreckage.

A HSE spokesman said the National Ambulance Service (NAS) and the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management are now in talks. They are hoping to come to an agreement on when the ambulance service can request fire fighter assistance without being billed.

A HSE spokesman told the Irish Examiner: “On rare occasions, the removal of a patient in a confined area may require assistance from the fire service. Various local authorities have traditionally provided this type of assistance.