Limerick Fire and Rescue call-out charges pass €2.5m

LIMERICK City and County Council’s fire authority raised more than €2.5m from fire brigade call out charges across the last three years.

The information came to light following a question from Labour councillor Conor Sheehan at this month’s metropolitan district meeting.

He was told, in total, some €2.6m was collected in the years between 2019 and 2021 inclusive.

In 2019, the amount collected was €949,071.88, in 2020, it was €749,199.19, while last year, the total was €899,709.25.

In the past some councillors have highlighted instances where people have been afraid to contact the emergency services due to the cost of its call-out.

In Limerick, the costs vary, but it can range from between €550 per hour for a house fire and €1,100 for a commercial fire.

In Pictures: 30 fab photos from Riverfest 2022

Councillor Sheehan believes there is a debate to be had around the removal of charges in Limerick – with many authorities around the country not charging for fire service call-outs.

He said: “I put this question in as I wanted to get a sense as to how much of a revenue generator this is for the council. I’ve had people onto me who have had to call the fire brigade, and it costs a significant amount of money to do it.”

The City North councillor acknowledged if the charge was removed, it could blow a hole in the local authority budget.

But, he added: “The cost is a concern. I’ve had it from elderly people who have phoned the fire service in a panic and when the bill comes, they don’t know how to pay it. I have to say in a lot of cases, the council does show clemency and leniency to people in individual circumstances. It’s not at all ideal when you have people being charged to call the fire service in such a way that it may deter them from using it. If this was the case, it’s something I’d be concerned about.”

Limerick gardai issue appeal for help in locating missing man

Last January, Kilmallock-based councillor PJ Carey sought a breakdown of how much the fire service costs.

He was told that in this year’s budget, the total cost of running the facility is estimated at €16.8m.

“Of this, €531,844 is received from other local authorities, and €685,734 is estimated to be received from fire charges. Other income relating to fire charges is estimated at €145,813. The remainder, €15,487,499, is funded from the council’s own resources which include commercial rates and local property tax,” read the reply.