Dublin City Council defends controversial call-out charge
Dublin People 02 Dec 2011
HARD-PRESSED householders and motorists in Dublin will
now have to fork out over
?¬500 for the fire brigade to attend the scene of
their burning home or car.
Dublin City Council last week passed the controversial
motion as part of a whole series of revenue-generating and saving initiatives.
It’s understood that a first-hour fee of
?¬500 will be
charged for domestic fires,
?¬610 for vehicle fires and
?¬610 for chimney fires.
There will also be a first hour charge of
?¬610 for traffic incidents.
Firefighters have reacted angrily to the charge
claiming it could deter householders from calling the emergency service, which
will ultimately endanger the lives of civilians and firefighters.
“Forcing householders to pay for any attendance by a
fire brigade at their homes could clearly deter people from calling the
emergency fire service and could put the lives of civilians and firefighters at
risk,
? said Owen Reidy, SIPTU sector organiser.
“Firefighters across the country already experience a
situation where elderly people in particular will attempt to deal with a house
or chimney fire themselves rather than face a possible charge for calling the
fire service.
“We are calling on the members of Dublin City Council
to reject any proposal from the management to introduce such charges.
?
Defending the introduction of the charge, the council
described how insurance companies are already charging for fire service
call-outs without passing the payment on to the council, who ultimately foot
the bill.
“Dublin City Council is conscious of the fact that
most insurance companies are already charging a premium to cover for fire
charges which are already levied in many parts of the country outside Dublin,
?
a council spokesperson stated.
“The Insurance Federation have indicated that they
will not consider contributing directly to the cost of the fire service
notwithstanding the fact that they are already collecting premiums from people
for such charges.
“The city council has indicated that the charge levied
by the city council on those with insurance cover should be passed directly on
to the insurance companies.
?
After introducing the charge, the city council assured
householders that they could, in certain cases, use their discretion in
relation to the fee.
“In the case of households where the Dublin local
authorities are the landlord, the local authorities will themselves bear the
fire brigade costs,
? said the spokesperson.
“In the case of households where there is no household
insurance cover in place, the local authorities will look sympathetically, and
on an individual basis, at hardship cases in relation to the charges.
“In light of this, and in the knowledge that the
charge will not be an issue, it is important that people continue to call on
the services of Dublin Fire Brigade, at 999 or 911, at the earliest possible
moment in a fire situation.
?
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