Fire brigade callout fees make up just over 2% of the service's cost
THE income local authorities receive from fire charges accounts for little more than 2% of the overall cost of the service.
While the payments can leave a significant dent in the pockets of hard-pressed homeowners, figures show that, last year, revenues from the fees in 20 councils came to just over €5.87m, while costs for these fire services amounted to more than €257m.
This means just 2.28% of fire services costs in these areas was recouped through callout charges.
The responses put into stark context the limited impact fire charges have in contributing to the cost of running fire services locally. In all cases, income received through charges represented less than 10% of the overall cost of providing the service.
In the case of Dublin City Council, income accounted for just 0.3% of the cost. At 9.9%, Offaly had the highest income-to-cost ratio of respondents, with all other council incomes coming in at under 8% of costs.
At €141.8m, Dublin City Council operated the most expensive fire service and generated the most income. But Cork County Council — which at €13.2m has a fire service that is more than 10 times less expensive to run — received more than €300,000 more in income from charges than Dublin City Council last year.
As part of this investigation, councils were asked to provide figures for the income they received in 2021 for fire charges and the cost of their first service last year. A total of 16 local authorities responded to this request in full.
In their responses, local authorities were keen to stress that figures were provisional pending the auditing and ratification of 2021 accounts. Councils which failed to provide data were Donegal, Galway County, Laois, Meath, Sligo and Westmeath. Cork City does not receive any income from the general public for its fire callouts.
The per capita cost of fire services across all local authorities was €62.69 in 2020, according to the Local Authority Performance Indicator Report, compiled by the National Oversight and Audit Committee (NOAC), a body charged with monitoring services provided by councils across the country.
This was an increase of almost €2 from 2019 and is the highest cost since NOAC started collecting this data back in 2014, when national cost per capita was €55.19.
However, an in-depth look at per capita costs for each local authority area shows significant variations among councils. Cork City Council’s fire service had the highest cost per person in 2020 and was the only council to breach the €100 mark (€101.93). In contrast, for Cork County Council, the per-person cost was just €42.05.
A total of seven councils had per capita costs higher than the national figure. After Cork City, these included Dublin City Council, Limerick City and County Council, and Leitrim, Waterford, Sligo and Roscommon County Councils. The local authority with the lowest per-person costs was Meath County Council (€30.69), followed by Kildare and Westmeath.
As well as these charges, fire services receive income from the issuing of fire safety certificates, and in fees they charge neighbouring councils when assisting with callouts across boundary lines. But with such income still accounting for a small proportion of its overall costs, councils rely on other revenue streams like commercial rates and the local property tax to fund most of the service.
Despite the discrepancies found in fire charges countrywide and their minimal effect on running costs, president of the Association of Irish Local Government (AILG) and Donegal councillor Nicholas Crossan believes charges should remain.
“Either we put our rates up to businesspeople, who are struggling at the moment as it is, or we charge the household for use of the service, which I think is the preferred option.
Cllr Crossan added that the AILG, which represents all county and city councillors in the country, does not wish for decisions on fire service charges to be placed in the hands of the national government.
“The AILG is encouraging more power from central government down to the towns and counties. The people who know the local knowledge, the councillors, are best placed to provide services.”
“In most countries, including up North, there is no charge for a fire brigade callout. Between income tax, motor tax, VAT, Dirt, excise duty — the list goes on — most Irish people pay enough money to the Government and they should expect certain public services to be covered by it.
“When the local property tax was introduced it was supposed to cover local services like these, so I’m not sure what has happened.
"And with inflation at record levels, the Government should be looking at ways it can ease the burden on consumers which are within its remit.”
People are often reluctant to report fires for fear of being billed, even if it isn’t their own property that is at risk, Limerick-based Sinn Féin councillor PJ Carey said.
“Some people believe the myth that the person who reports the call to the fire service must pay the costs, so perhaps a campaign of some kind is needed to stop this confusion.
“A man told me recently that he received a bill for €2,200 from the fire service for a house fire. The Limerick City and Council charges vary, but €550 per hour for a house fire and €1,100 per hour for a commercial fire seems a bit excessive.
“When renewing home insurance, people should be reminded to make sure that they are covered for fire service call-outs. Fire safety is vital and the public should feel confident in calling out the fire service, when needed.
Monaghan County Council said its charges are regularly reviewed and “based on cost associated with service delivery at each incident attended by the fire service”. Mayo County Council encouraged the public “to ensure that they have appropriate insurance cover in place to cover the charges”.
An analysis of the fire service fees set by local authorities shows that just one local authority — Cork City Council — does not charge for attendance of its fire brigade at the scene of a collision.
However, fees charge by other local authorities vary widely. Assuming a single-car road traffic collision callout involving two fire vehicles and lasting one hour on a weekday, charges from other councils for this service can range from €400 in Leitrim to €1,400 in Wexford.
A total of four councils charge €1,000 or more for a daytime callout to a road traffic collision. After Wexford, the most expensive counties are Westmeath (€1,350), Waterford (€1,100) and Laois (€1,000).
For a one-hour callout taking place at night, the weekend, or on a public holiday, eight councils double their charges, with one — Roscommon — increasing its fee by 50%. This means that, for an out-of-hours callout, eight councils charge €1,000 or more, with Longford (€1,253.58), Wicklow (€1,176), Donegal (€1,146.60) and Cavan (€1,102.50) included in this group.
Fire stations are called out to road traffic collisions to clear roadways or assist with casualties. Fire-fighters attended the scene of 4,700 road incidents around the country in 2020, according to the most recent figures available, representing just under 12% of all brigade callouts.
Under the national pre-determined attendance requirements, fire services are required to deploy a minimum of two fire engines to the scene of a road traffic collision involving an injured person. If no person is reported injured, it is up to the local authority’s policy to determine the number of vehicles to attend.
Where incidents involve more than one vehicle, all parties to the collision are invoiced. Local authorities were keen to point out that the issuing of charges is not to be considered as a judgment of responsibility for any collision. Should one party be determined in court to be solely liable for a multiple car collision at a later date, they will be expected to pay the charge in full.
Several local authorities use complicated formulas involving personnel wages, time and running costs to calculate charges for road traffic incidents.
For example, a number of counties charge their residents the cost of the firefighters’ wages for the callout, plus an extra administrative fee that ranges from 15% to 33% of wages, to cover overheads.
A spokesman for Wexford County Council said the local authority “reviews all our charges on an annual basis to ensure value for money continues to be achieved and to ensure that our services continue to be delivered to the highest standards possible”.
As part of their responses to this survey, many councils pointed to the fact that insurance policies can cover the costs of such fire service callouts. However, queries put to insurance companies show that, even after claims have been made, many motorists may still find themselves out of pocket.
Axa’s ‘Direct Private’ car policy has a limit of €1,500 for fire brigade charges, but Aviva’s private motor policies provide cover for fire brigade charges to a maximum of €1,000 — which would not cover the full cost of a one-hour night-time or weekend callout in seven counties.
According to an Aviva spokeswoman, “the cover is provided for where a valid claim exists and includes either putting out a fire in a car or instances where the service is required to remove the driver or passengers from a car using cutting equipment”.
Limerick-based Labour councillor Conor Sheehan expressed concern that high charges for any type of callout “may be acting as a deterrent for people from phoning the fire brigade which could potentially put lives at risk. I would be concerned that some people may be tempted to take matters into their own hands rather than be landed with a big bill.
"I think going forward we may need to have a discussion on whether or not this callout charge should be varied and if it is of benefit and whether we need to relook at the system. People also need to be made aware through an information campaign to check if their insurance companies will pay the callout charge if they phone the fire brigade.”
Businesses may face charges of up to €1,400 an hour for their local fire brigade to help put out a fire on their property, the can reveal.
Like road traffic collisions, daytime weekday charges for one-hour assistance during a commercial fire can range from €400 in Leitrim to €1,400 in Wexford. Just one council — Cork City — does not charge for this service. Leitrim’s charge doubles to €800 for night and weekend callouts.
A total of six councils charge €1,000 or more for a one-hour daytime callout: after Wexford they are Westmeath (€1,350), Cork County (€1,320), Limerick (€1,100), Waterford (€1,100) and Mayo (€1,000).
Ten councils double the fee they charge if the callout is at night, during the weekend or on a bank holiday, while Roscommon increases the fee by 50%.
For the same callout out-of-hours, therefore, an additional eight local authorities will charge €1,000 or more: Monaghan (€1,320), Offaly (€1,289.92), Longford (€1,253.58), Wicklow (€1,176), Laois (€1,175.70), Donegal (€1,146.60), Tipperary (€1,146.60) and Cavan (€1102.50).
The costs were calculated based on an hour-long callout where two fire tenders are deployed to the scene — the minimum requirement (assuming no person has been reported as in danger) under the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management’s pre-determined attendance guidelines.
However, rates in Sligo are calculated based on the number of fire stations in attendance — should two fire vehicles from two different stations be sent to the scene, this charge immediately doubles.
A spokesperson for Sligo County Council said: “In Sligo, three of our stations are one-pump stations of which most in the country are, therefore the majority of incidences require two stations in attendance.”
Commercial blazes can often be much more complex and difficult to safely extinguish than other fire-related incidents. When the Glenisk yoghurt plant in Offaly was destroyed by fire last September, 34 firefighters were deployed to tackle the blaze, with units attending from Tullamore, Edenderry, Clara and Portarlington. Fifty staff were evacuated from the site, with some reportedly treated for smoke inhalation.
A spokesperson from Limerick City and County Council described the fees as “an important element in the fire service budget which is required for the running of Limerick Fire and Rescue Services,” adding that “Limerick Fire and Rescue Service is entitled to invoice users of the service”.
- This project was researched in conjunction with the UCD Data Journalism Centre.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
