Doing More With Less

Compared to my department, the Dublin Fire Brigade is grossly understaffed. Both Dublin and Madison have 12 stations, and staff their own ambulances with firefighters. Dublin has 120 fire response personnel on per shift, and Madison has 78. Dublin has 12 ambulances and we 8. Madison has a population of roughly 230,000, and Dublin had a staggering population of roughly 1,200,000 people. The difference in our populations is not reflected in our department’s staffing. Dublin is doing more with less.

Now in some respects, the Dublin Fire Brigade is unable to keep up with their call volume. While I was visiting the main station in Dublin, I was told that all 12 ambulances were currently on calls, and that their dispatch center had 21 calls in queue, waiting for an ambulance to become available.

Ambulance in Dublin

 In spite of comparatively low staffing, Dublin does very well when it comes firefighting. A standard fire response is three engine companies. Engine companies in Ireland have crews of 5, and carry many types of equipment in addition to that needed for fire attack. The three engines are usually split into three crews, search, attack, and backup. All three teams have their own hose line. 

Engine company leaving main station for a call

When fighting a residential fire, the Dublin Fire Brigade usually has the fire knocked down within two minutes of the attack team entering the structure. This is because Dublin has been able to refine, and perfect the way they find and extinguish residential compartment fires. It helps that homes in Ireland are smaller and confine fire well, but the firefighter’s speed of extinguishment reflects quality training and discipline.