Senator Ollie Crowe has this week urged the Government to find a resolution to the ongoing strike action by retained firefighters across the country.
Sen Crowe met with local representatives of the group earlier this week outside Galway County Council buildings. The strike involves a total of 2,000 retained fire fighters across the country.
“These are incredibly dedicated people carrying out an essential public service that is vital to public safety,” Sen Crowe said this week. “They are at the heart of every community across the country. People will be surprised to learn that a whole-time retained firefighter earns approximately €700 per month, which equates to 99 cent per hour. For this, they must be on call 24-seven, 360 days a year, stay within 3 km of the station at all times, attend the station within five minutes of a call and attend eight weeks of compulsory training in the first year to qualify as a firefighter.
“They are not looking to get rich, they are merely seeking a fair salary for their difficult, dangerous work which involves considerable sacrifice and devotion to their communities,” he continued. “They deserve that and Government needs to take measures to resolve this as a matter of priority.”
Senator Crowe is urging the Government to look broadly at the issue, stating: “From speaking to firefighters locally I know that if the pay issue can be resolved, they would be willing to enhance their role which could further benefit local communities. Of course, they are all qualified in first aid so they could assist emergency services when required, and there are a range of areas within our communities where they are qualified and capable of making an important contribution.
“Naturally the priority right now has to be to resolve their pay issues but Government should give further consideration to enhancing the role of retained fire fighters when that is done.”
