A local firefighter believes increased pay and a better work life balance will help improve the current crisis facing the sector. According to Cavan man Cian Donohue, recruitment and retention are two of the biggest issues facing the industry.
Industrial action over the matter which began yesterday, will see retained firefighters, like Cian, engaging in a campaign of non-cooperation with work outside of responding to emergency calls.
Speaking on this morning's Joe Finnegan Show, Cian highlighted how the average hourly rate for a firefighter to be on call 24/7 for 48 weeks of the year works out at 99 cent per hour. This is something which he believes, needs to be addressed "urgently" by Government.
"I had just turned 22 when I started my role as a firefighter," explained Cian. "I had a fulltime job also at the time and I lost my employment within six months because we were that busy with the fire brigade that I couldn't keep locking up the shop and running out to an emergency call, so my employer let me go as a result of that and it's been very hard to get employment since.
"I'm fortunate enough now that I am self-employed, but at the same time it has its own restrictions as I have to hire staff to be there when I'm not. A big part of fixing this is getting the work/life balance right and what we're looking for is week on/week off calls to give us a break."
Meanwhile, in a statement issued by Cavan County Council in relation to local strike action, all local authorities have engaged with SIPTU at local level to put in place robust contingency arrangements.
Cavan County Council has assured the public that every effort will be made to mitigate any risk to them arising from any industrial action.
The statement confirmed that local fire services will be provided even in a strike situation and will respond to all emergency calls involving life-threatening situations.
