Official satisfied with firefighter numbers
A senior official in City Hall has said she is satisfied with the number of firefighters on Cork City Fire Brigade but that a review will ensure the fire service is fit for the city.
Adrienne Rodgers, Director of Services, Community, Culture & Placemaking made the comment during Monday’s Cork City Council meeting during question time following queries from Sinn Féin Cllr Eolan Ryng about the fire service on Leeside.
He asked: “How many firefighters were working full time in the 'old' Cork City Council area in 2015, and how many are working full time in the current area covered by Cork City Council in 2022?”
Ms Rodgers replied: “The operational fire brigade consists of a number of ranks from firefighter to chief fire officer. In 2015 the establishment was 144 members for Cork City Fire Brigade. They provided fire cover to the Cork city area and areas of Cork county adjacent to the city under the City County Service Level Agreement which has been in place for many years.
“In 2022 the establishment was 154 members for Cork City Fire Brigade which includes 10 members of the retained fire service in Ballincollig which joined Cork city in 2019 following the boundary extension.”
She also said competitions are underway to fill current vacancies in both the fulltime and retained services. The closing date for expressions of interest for the retained service in Ballincollig is today, 13 January, and it is expected that any current vacancies for full-time fire fighters will be filled by early in quarter two of this year subject to successful interviews and physical tests.
In a follow up question, Cllr Ryng asked if the director was satisfied that the current number of firefighters provide adequate protection, as the city expands outwards and upwards.
Ms Rodgers said: “We are satisfied that the numbers are sufficient. However, we are also in the process of developing a strategic review of the new city and we will be looking at all of the resources that will be required to ensure we have a fire service fit for the new city as we continue to expand and obviously tall buildings will be part of that assessment too.”