SIPTU has acknowledged the joint statement this afternoon (Monday, 9th March) from members of the Haddington Road Agreement National Oversight Committee concerning the establishment of an independently chaired joint forum to discuss the future of the Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) ambulance service. SIPTU Sector Organiser, Brendan O’Brien, said: “The establishment of such a forum is what our members campaigned for following the statement last week by the management of Dublin City Council (DCC) that it intended to scrap the DFB ambulance service call and dispatch function. “This forum provides an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss the future provision of this service, placing the best interests of the residents of the Dublin and firefighters to the fore. There will now be no pre-determined outcome to this process in contrast to the unilateral announcement made by city management last week.” The forum was established following a meeting on Friday, 6th March, involving SIPTU Vice President, Patricia King, IMPACT General Secretary, Shay Cody, DCC Chief Executive, Owen Keegan, and DCC Assistant Chief Executive, Brendan Kenny. The meeting agreed the forum would be chaired by former Dublin Chief Fire Officer, Stephen Brady, and that “all matters arising” from the Control Centre Reconfiguration Project, as recommended in a recent HIQA Report, will be addressed. The SIPTU DFB Section Committee has decided to convene a meeting later this week to decide on its next steps in relation to the independent forumand on a proposed ballot for industrial action.
Independent forum established to discuss future of DFB ambulance service
