The Government has announced what it terms the largest-ever capital investment programme for fire stations in the State.
The Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, announced the £8 million programme at the opening of a regional Fire Service control centre in Limerick city.
The programme provides for the tendering, preparation, or approval in principle of 27 fire stations from Skibbereen in Co Cork to Letterkenny, Co Donegal.
Mr Dempsey said the money would go towards speeding up the replacement and refurbishment of fire stations throughout the State.
In some cases, he said, the stations were "lacking the facilities appropriate for today's modern fire service".
The Minister said a modern and efficient fire service was vital to every community in the State. "Since taking office, this Government has therefore substantially increased investment in the fire services programme," said Mr Dempsey. He said that since he had taken office in 1997, capital investment in the fire service had increased by over 63 per cent and in June, he had authorised fire authorities to invite tenders for 30 fire appliances worth over £5 million.
The Minister was speaking at the opening of the first of three regional fire control centres in the "Computer Aided Mobilisation Project". This project is intended to improve 999 emergency call taking and ease the burden on station officers who previously had to be available at all times to receive emergency calls.