Firefighters protest proposed cuts to crew levels

Firefighters take to the streets of Dublin today to protest against cuts to crew levels. pic.twitter.com/9HpLhYTkCc

— Sharron Lynskey (@sharronlynskey) February 24, 2015

Around 200 firefighters from across the country have marched on the Dáil to protest proposed cuts to crew levels.

Firefighters protesting outside the http://t.co/VetVAcTQe1 unions unhappy with proposals to reduce crewing numbers. pic.twitter.com/fT4AHPZkTk

— Dublin Gazette Newspapers (@DublinGazette) February 24, 2015

The Department of the Environment wants to reduce the number of people who attend certain fires as part of the Keeping Communities Safe Plan.

However, SIPTU has said that those cuts will put the lives of firefighters and the public at risk.

Relatives of the victims of the Stardust present at firefighter and SIPTU protest. pic.twitter.com/EZhkstCHUC

— Dublin Gazette Newspapers (@DublinGazette) February 24, 2015

Relatives of the victims of the Stardust tragedy represented today. pic.twitter.com/yWyGaiVeI1

— Sharron Lynskey (@sharronlynskey) February 24, 2015

Ciaran Scallan, chair of SIPTU’s retained firefighters national committee and a firefighter in Wexford himself, said that the cuts will change the way they treat a blaze.

"At the moment, if your house was on fire, and God Forbid, there are people inside, we would go offensive - we would go into the building, because we know if something goes wrong, and the two firefighters inside … get into trouble, there are two firefighters outside that can go in and pull out those two firefighters," he said.

"If the cuts are brought in, there would only be one firefighter outside, and there's no way that one firefighter could pull out two firefighters."