Malicious fires take 40% of fire and rescue budget

THE COST of tackling malicious fires in Northern Ireland is eating up 40 per cent of the annual £77 million budget of the North’s fire and rescue service, according to figures obtained by DUP Assembly member Simon Hamilton.

Minister for Health and Public Safety Michael McGimpsey told Mr Hamilton that almost £31 million was spent last year dealing with more than 14,000 malicious fires. The figures also showed that it cost more than £145 million to tackle some 73,000 deliberately set fires over the past five years.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said these incidents were diverting “vital” resources from real emergencies.

“Deliberate fires do cost the public purse considerably, but first and foremost they put public lives and our firefighters’ lives at risk,” a spokesman said.

“The fact that 40p in every taxpayer pound allocated to the fire service is being consumed in addressing activities of a malevolent minority is shocking in the extreme,” said Mr Hamilton.

“It is staggering that as much as 40 per cent of the entire current expenditure budget allocation of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service is lost in a year because of the need for firefighters to tackle malicious incidents,” added the Strangford MLA.

Sinn Féin MLA Willie Clarke said he was shocked by the figures, as the money could be put to better use within the Department of Health. “I would call on those people engaged in this mindless activity to stop at once.”

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times