Paul Murphy warns Dublin lacks aerial rescue after Tala fire
Paul Murphy spoke about the 16 October fire at the Glass House building in Tala, urging improved aerial rescue capacity for high-rise developments. He said people were trapped on balconies for half an hour, welcomed a review and asked the Tánaiste to ensure appropriate equipment is sited near tall buildings.
Incident details
The Glass House building in Tala caught fire on 16 October. People were trapped for half an hour on balconies, were terrified for their lives, and there were no casualties; people waited about 20 minutes for the aerial platform to arrive from Tara Street.
Current aerial resources in Dublin
Paul Murphy said there are three appropriate aerial appliances in Dublin - two in Tara Street and one in Dunleary. He warned that having those appliances clustered away from growing high-rise areas may leave residents without timely local rescue capability.
Questions put to the Tánaiste
He asked the Tánaiste whether, where high-rise developments exist, the appropriate equipment should be located locally to deal with fires. Paul Murphy said he welcomed a review that has been announced and that he would take the issue up with the minister.
Urban development and equipment placement
Paul Murphy described Dublin as having a low-rise centre and increasing high-rise development around the M50 ring. He suggested it would be logical to base some aerial rescue equipment in the M50 area to the west of the city, while noting he is not an expert and did not want to speak beyond his knowledge.
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On the 16th of October, a fire broke out at the Glass House building in Tala. People were trapped for half an hour on balconies. People were terrified for their lives. Thankfully there were no casualties, but there certainly could have been. People were waiting for 20 minutes for the aerial platform to arrive out from Tara Street. Since then I have been asking questions about this, and what has emerged is that there are three appropriate aerial appliances in Dublin. Two are in Tara Street, one is in Dunleary. But you have a situation where you have high rise developments in Tala and in other places of Dublin, and you simply do not have the equipment locally that is necessary to rescue people in the event of fires. It has emerged that there is now a review underway, which I welcome, but I would ask the Tanaiste whether he agrees that where you have high rise developments, you need to have the appropriate equipment to deal with fires. Thanks, Stephanie. I am not an expert in the field at all, but what you say to me is very concerning. If you look at the pattern of development in Dublin, it is unusual. It is almost a low rise city in the centre and is increasingly becoming a high rise city around the ring, around that M50 ring, which runs through your constituency and mine. So logic would suggest to me that you would have some of the equipment in the M50 area to the west of the city. But I am not an expert on the issue at all and do not want to speak beyond my knowledge. But I will take it up, Minister Brian, because I imagine it is the kind of thing that could happen in my constituency too. How are you?
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