A review of the situation where Dublin Fire Brigade is unable to tackle fires from outside a building of more than seven storeys is to be sought by a city councillor.
The issue is to be raised by Labour councillor Ms Anne Carter with the Dublin City Manager, Mr John Fitzgerald.
She said it was recently reported that Dublin City Council had no plans to purchase fire tenders with a larger reach than seven storeys, even though the skyline of the capital was increasingly being dominated by much taller buildings.
There were no Dublin Fire Brigade fire-tender ladders higher that 101 feet, she said. In fact, the brigade's highest hydraulic platform only went up to 75 feet (with turntable ladders extending to 101 feet).
To be ready for a fire in higher tower blocks, fire fighters would need a fleet of new turntable equipment capable of extending up to 150 feet and possibly to 200 feet plus, Ms Carter said.
Dublin Fire Brigade, however, has responded to the criticisms in a statement issued through Dublin City Council which said fire-safety measures were dealt with from inside the building.
The brigade said high-rise buildings, generally defined as buildings with a top-floor level in excess of 20 metres above ground, were facilitated by the inclusion of a number of fire protection features in the design of the building.
These features were required under the fire-certification process, and were designed to allow the fire brigade to deal with an incident mainly from within the building.
It stated that the principal features can include internal fire mains to provide fire-fighting water supplies throughout the building without the necessity of laying fire hoses up through the building.
Other features were an automatic sprinkler system provided throughout the building, in certain categories such as office buildings more than 30 metres high.
This system would activate automatically at the fire location, usually in advance of fire brigade arrival.
Protected fire-fighting stairways, lifts and lobbies, to facilitate personnel and fire equipment access to all parts of the building, was another feature.
Others included a clear roadway, access to the building for fire-fighting vehicles; fire resistance of the structure and smoke ventilation of stairways.