We're calling for an end to Fire brigade call out charges

 
Read our latest press release here on fire brigade call out charges:
Fees range from €0 to €750 per hour depending on where you live
AA Ireland has chosen Hallowe’en to call on the Government to bring an end to Fire brigade call out charges for householders and to instigate a complete overhaul of how fire services are funded across the country.
The current situation sees householders charged different and often hefty charges for calling out the fire brigade in the event of a fire or other emergency. The AA believes that the system is confusing, unfair and unsafe.
“Fire services have to be properly funded and of course we believe that our front line emergency responders need to be properly paid.” Says Director of Consumer Affairs Conor Faughnan. “But the current situation is that a householder calling 999/112 for a fire is charged anything from €0 to €750 per hour depending on where you live. We believe that this is unacceptable.”
Fire Services in Ireland are managed at local authority level with each council in recent years setting their own billing structure. The AA believes that this has led to a chaotic and unfair system with different councils using different criteria such as the cost per minute, per hour, per fire fighter, per brigade and the time of day the call out occurs. Of those who charge a flat fee the average rate for the first hour of a call out to a domestic fire is €476 up from €414 in October 2012.[1]  
For example, Waterford City Council does not charge at all for domestic fires with the exception of apartment complexes while at the upper end of the scale those living in Mayo are charged €750 per hour.[2]   While some fees are relatively straightforward, other local authorities enforce a complicated fee structure.
To make matters more confusing not all Home Insurers properly cover those fees. AA Home Insurance customers are fully covered in all cases but policies from others vary considerably. Regrettably people often don’t realize this until they try to make a claim.
“If you live in Monaghan for example it’s well worth doing your sums in advance of taking out your home insurance policy to figure out what level of cover you’ll need to cover fire brigade call out  charges if you’re ever unfortunate enough to need their services.” advises Faughnan.
Monaghan County Council’s payment structure is based on the national hourly rate per fire fighter (€19.86) plus the number of personal in attendance and duration. Their fees also change for night time, weekends and bank holiday call outs.
“We believe that it is fundamentally wrong for people to be charged when they call 999/112. In our view it’s a flawed policy and puts lives at risk. We should not tolerate a system where people have to give thought as to whether or not they can afford to call for help in an emergency. This is a particularly likely to happen if a home owner or resident doesn’t have any home insurance in place.” Says Faughnan.
The AA accepts that these services require considerable resources and certainly doesn’t begrudge fire-fighters of their hard earned wages; however they are calling on Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, Alan Kelly, TD and his department to eliminate fees altogether at the point of use.
“Our Fire Services are an essential public service and ultimately we would like to arrive at a situation where they are exclusively financed through ‘The Local Government Fund’ which now benefits from Property Tax in addition to Motor Tax”.
The AA has provided home insurance for more than 30 years. Home insurance customers are the ones who ultimately pay Fire Brigade charges as they are normally paid via home insurance claims.
The AA for example offers up €3,000 while the industry average sits at €2,100[3].   “While the overall government policy on this is wrong-headed, we have made sure that it doesn’t affect AA customers and we remind them that they should never be reluctant to call for help with a house fire for fear of being charged.” Says Faughnan.
Even small domestic fires are expensive. The AA reports that based on their own insurance book, the average insurance claim following a house fire is €15,000 when cleanup costs are factored in. The AA also stresses the importance of thinking beyond rebuild costs and to make sure their policy also provides a good level of cover for alternative accommodation.
Ends / more  
Notes to the editor;
 Table 1: Fire brigade call out charges by City Councils, County Councils, Borough Councils and Town Councils around the state:

Above fees sourced from the website of respective City Councils, County Councils, Borough Councils and Town Councils around the state or through direct telephone calls carried out on Thursday 8^th and Friday 9^th May 2014. Note some website prices have not been updated since 2011. A large portion of councils are reviewing their Fire Service call out charges as there is no parity between districts/city/county.
Table 2: Average local authority rates for fire brigade call out fees for domestic chimney fires and other domestic fires (Figures based on authorities where fixed fees are charged and on the assumption the duration of the call out is 1 hour):

 
 
 
 
 
 
[1] See table 2 in notes section below. The prizes taken exclude adds ons for bank holidays and unsociable hours.
[2]Prices sourced during May 2014, please see table in notes section below.
[3]Figures sourced via a home insurance comparison study carried out by the AA during August 2014.