Many retained firefighters around the country are on social welfare due to the difficulty of balancing a full time job with the demands of the service.
Half of the country’s 200 fire stations will close tomorrow unless an agreement on pay and conditions can be reached today.
Firefighters say low base rates of pay mean they have difficulty securing mortgages which is in turn putting many people off joining the service.
Speaking to RedFM News, Station officer at Mallow Fire Station Jonathan Madden says the requirement to be within 3 kilometres of a station is also posing a problem for recruitment:
"Then when you're trying to get a job, some towns might not have as great employment as other towns and you can get old so you end up having to try to dole €700 approximately a month it is when you break down the retainer and that's every two weeks. It's shocking you start wanting a big wage cut to just a decent wage so people can live on and be secure."
Station Officer at Mallow Fire Station Jonathan Madden says retained fire services around the country are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit new crew members.
Half the country’s retained fire stations will be closed tomorrow in a row over pay and conditions. pic.twitter.com/vzXK5o9rqA— RedFM News (@RedFMNews) June 12, 2023
