Emergency services badly under-resourced, Cork County Council hears 

Ambulances are regularly delayed getting to emergencies due to a lack of sufficient personnel.  Picture Denis Minihane.

Cork County Council has written to Taoiseach Micheál Martin asking him to provide extra personnel in all the emergency services in the region as ambulances are regularly being delayed getting to emergencies, there are not enough gardaí on the beat, firefighters are underresourced and three Naval Service ships are tied up due to crew shortages.

The motion to directly contact the Taoiseach was tabled by Fine Gael councillor Michael Paul Murtagh and it won unanimous cross-party support.

Mr Murtagh, who is a full-time firefighter based in Cork City, said he wanted to highlight “the very serious issues created by depleted numbers of frontline staff.” 

“I am in no doubt that the moratorium on recruitment after the economic collapse and the policies which were adapted in the wake of that decision have damaged frontline services across the board. Gardaí, firefighters, ambulance paramedics and the Defence Forces are all suffering a crippling lack of numbers. These policies are coming home to roost and badly need to be reviewed and reversed,” Mr Murtagh said.

“I've been involved in many debates both at municipal district meetings and the joint policing committee, along with my fellow councillors, regarding the lack of gardaí on the ground in our own community. We were warning of Class A drug use, antisocial behaviour and violence significantly increasing," he said.

Waiting over two hours

He pointed out that councillors in West and North Cork are regularly complaining about patients waiting over two hours for ambulances and the council regularly discusses problems with recruiting part-time firefighters.

“It has been well reported that Naval Service ships are tied up quayside, unable to patrol our coastline because of lack of personnel. It’s been suggested that it’s practically as easy to purchase Class A drugs in our towns and villages as it is to get a loaf of bread,” Mr Murtagh said.

Cllr Michael Paul Murtagh tabled a motion to write to An Taoiseach Micheál Martin asking him to provide extra personnel in all the emergency services in the region.

He told councillors for the first time in a 23-year career he’d been forced into industrial unrest, not to defend his own pay and conditions but to defend the need for critical jobs on the frontline.

“I refer specifically to Ballincollig Fire station still not manned as promised with the expansion of the city boundary. Lack of personnel on the frontline is a major problem throughout the country. Staffing levels must be returned to the way they should be, not just back to minimum levels but back to optimal levels to cover sick leave, annual leave, parental leave etc and matching growth in population numbers.” 

Pay and Conditions

Labour councillor Cathal Rasmussen, said living in Cobh he can see the ships tied up.

“Pay and conditions are so poor in Defence Forces younger people won’t join. I’m chairman of the JPC (joint policing committee) and every area’s looking for extra gardaí,” he said.

Fine Gael councillor Sinead Sheppard claimed some Defence Forces families “are practically living in poverty.” Fianna Fáil councillor Seamus McGrath said having navy ships tied up “is totally unacceptable,” while Fine Gael councillor Noel McCarthy said all emergency services deserve proper pay, conditions and personnel levels.

Mr Murtagh concluded the debate by pointing out the scourge of drugs was causing untold damage to communities and it’s imperative they're stopped coming into the country, which is one of the roles the Naval Service plays.

“This is not something we can scrimp or scrape on,” he said.