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DUBLIN FIRE BRIGADE firefighters will march in Dublin today calling for the retention of their ambulance service which is due to undergo a review by the HSE and the city council.
It was announced in February that the cost, quality and scale of the ambulance service in Dublin will be assessed as well as compliance with standards. However an internal HSE plan has since revealed that there is an intention to take control of the service away from Dublin Fire Brigade, which receives around €10 million a year to run twelve ambulances, by 2015.
There are concerns among firefighters about the future of their jobs if the service is no longer operating but one source said they are also worried about the level of service that will be provided in Dublin if the fire brigade is not in charge.
“People have pride in the service, we know how it works, we have a massive success rate – it’s the second best place to have a cardiac arrest in the street and that’s not down to the HSE, that’s down to the fire service,” they told TheJournal.ie.
We have a high success rate hitting HIQUA targets due to the geographical location of fire stations because we can have a fire engine full of paramedics, with a full range of resuscitation equipment, to most part of the city in nine minutes.
Unions SIPTU and IMPACT are calling on the public to support the protest against the planned review this evening. Firefighters will meet outside Tara Street Fire Station at 5pm and march from there to City Hall.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie today, Gerry Harris, SIPTU convener said the service provided by the fire brigade is “the most effective for patient outcomes as we have immediate interventions”.
He gave the example of the incident recently in which a number of people were crushed outside Copper Face Jacks nightclub.
“That would have been a major problem for the city if we weren’t there,” he explained. “We had about 40 paramedics on the ground without an ambulance so the city benefits from this the most.”
The HSE is conducting a separate review of the National Ambulance Service and Harris said this should be completed before any review of Dublin Fire Brigade commences. His union has called for a fully independent review of the service to include agreed terms of reference, stakeholder representation and persons with fire based emergency medical experience.
“It wouldn’t make sense to throw away a hundred years of experience,” he added.
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After watching that report on prime time about the ambulance service and listening to the HSE director saying the lads have wonderful uniforms if I was living in Dublin I’d be supporting the fire brigade.
People of Dublin, I would really ask you to back these people in their efforts. It is seriously in your own interests to do so. Do not let the dead hand of the HSE fall back upon this service. Even Fatty Reilly, on The Week in Politics said that the HSE is ‘unacceptable’.
Great bunch of lads. I pity them as a former employee of the HSE. It’s an awful monolith of management monkeys.
I too would support the ambulance and fire service ahead of the hse
The decision has been made since last year. 3 or 4 new ambulance bases are being ear marked already for Dublin but the HSE Ambulance service is falling short of the required standards due to idiots running the service. Back your local Fire Brigade!
I think this headline is somewhat unfair to the NAS paramedics based in Dublin. We all play a part in making Dublin a safe place to be. Certainly the HSE are no help but not our fellow paramedics.
Obviously the HSE has already made it’s decision ahead of any review. Now watch the Dublin ambulance service sink to the level of the rest of the country.
Just explain what you mean Christine?
I have no problem with Nas paramedics one of them is my best friend and I’m Dfb it’s management that’s Te problem so let’s be careful not to slag each other off personally the powers to be would love that
U dont have any friends u liar
Listen, it’s a sad day when anyone has to march about a pressing issue, but when the DFB go marching there’s a problem! Everyone in Ireland will either make a call or have one of these guys knock at their door at some stage of their lives! I rather these guys were happy and content resuscitating me than having a work related issue in the back of their heads whilst at work!
I totally support the DFB on this. The DFB are brilliant and a well run professional outfit. This does not take away from the HSE crews it is just that they arw dreadfully run contrary to what their boss says.
Strange, Singen. A week or two ago you were working in a rural area. You HSE chaps really get around. I will say again what I said to you then – quit with the sniping at the DFB. Your Masters wish to divide and conquer and you are only suiting them with your snide comments about the Dublin Fire Brigade service. You should be pushing for excellence in ALL areas of the emergency services.
I never said I worked in a rural area, I’m a Dublin based HSE paramedic. I did mention my colleagues who work in rural Ireland being unfairly compared to Dublin. Who’s doing the sniping? Us or them? What is your level of expertise on this subject? I believe your father was a fireman in DFB? Ah I see.
Sniping “us vs them” attitude will get us all nowhere.
You obviously havnt got a clue what your talking about. “You HSE chaps obviously get around” thats because theres a thing called “non rostered” in the NAS, if you knew what you were talking about you would know that. Perhaps you could comment on a thread you know something about.
And by the way I work in Athy station of NAS seeing as your keeping tabs on us. Idiot.
Keep it up guys ….Managment love it, divide and conquer !
God love you poor ill informed souls. There are HSE emergency ambulances in Dublin since the 1960s and they work alongside the DFB every day, and we have got nothing but abuse off the press and the public since this prime time program. We go above and beyond for the public and yet we have been hammered with abuse. The problems on prime time do not exist with HSE ambulances in Dublin and the figures prove it.
What would you propose as a solution to the problem faced throughout Ireland and more to the point Dublin Area. Should both sides continue to be pointed at each other like the good old public private debate of years before?
Should Dublin resources be pooled under a new emergency body?
What do you think would be best?
There are DFB ambulances in Dublin since the 1860s.
On the streets DFB and NAS work shoulder to shoulder without issue. I have great admiration for my NAS colleagues and great pity for them too. They are not getting the support of their management to effectively carry out their duties. Saying there is a divide in the personnel on the ground is a long standing management tactic in divide and conquer. Feeding it is counter productive to all workers.
More bs from the mallets, do the HSE ambulances in Dublin not respond to cardiac arrests? No mention of the DFB not passing ambulance calls over to HSE control either.
Unfortunately Clarence the public believe everything they say. Just read some of the comments above. Makes me want to give up my job.
Have you seen the articles new title? “No thanks to HSE” says fireman.
Yes a sense of stir up controversy here I believe. Why the title change?
Who’s falling for the shît stiring now?
Garry as a firefighter do you agree that it is a disgrace to suggest that the HSE do not contribute to the cardiac arrest survival rate in Dublin?
I think you need to look at peoples anger towards HSE rather than NAS. From the public side its hard to see them as separate entities. Also the primetime doc was damning in service provision, and the chief officer was appalling to say the least. “Best in the world” Ireland is no where close to it!
We need more people working at ground level not managers and committees where money is squandered.
Before you ask I work in neither field but want the best service for people.
See my comment below. I certainly agree that NAS paramedics are a vital part of the team when it comes to patient care in Dublin but your bosses in the HSE are a total disgrace
Thank you
Ah sure the author spent a couple of nights in the back of a dfb ambo last year for an article, she probably has a thing for firemen. You have to hand it to the heroes, their propaganda machine is working, judging by the comments on this.
@Clarence Troll Sweeney – Troll much?
The management of NAS should be taken away from the HSE full-stop. Bring in professional managers who know how to manage resources properly and stop promoting inefficient people.This should apply to the DFB and other fire brigades as well. The same should happen in most other areas of the public service. There is a sense of entitlement within our psyche that says ” well I’m in the job for X amount of years so it’s my turn to be promoted into management”. This attitude is what has all our public services in such a state.
All jobs at senior level should be open to outside competition. Some of the best managers dont necessarily need to be experts in the area . Managers lay out strategy and give direction and leadership.
Singer,
I haven’t read or heard anyone making comments saying how bad you and your colleagues work.
Most of us have the greatest respect for frontline emergency services workers.
The criticism is levelled at management.
Response times are not being reached in rural areas, doubt very much of this is down to the drivers rather to the distance that needs to be covered and that is a management issue.
Whether DFB or NAS as far as I’m concerned you both do a brilliant job under trying and sometimes dangerous conditions.
It costs almost a million euro a year to run one ambulance??????
It does if you maintain it properly. That’s part of the problem with HSE ambulances.
Second best place compared to where.
Seattle USA
no place deserves to have their ambulance service taken away weather it be hse or dfb, i was outraged by that guy on primetime investigates hes only putting pressure on paramedics in difficult times, i hope that dfb manage to save their ambulance service its a top class service they were good to me 2 years ago
If it ain’t broke ….
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