The following text is taken from the Dept of Environment Website for more information on the board members etc visit their site

The decision to establish the National Directorate was announced by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on the 22nd June, 2009. The Directorate operates under the aegis of the Local Government Division of the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
 Mandate of the National Directorate:

The mandate of the National Directorate is to create an effective model of integrated leadership, development support and oversight by central government of local authority’s provision of consistently effective, safe and value-for-money fire and emergency services in Ireland.

The National Directorate puts in place a management structure at central level with a clear mandate and visibility to develop national policy and standards and to drive consistent achievement of quality services by local authorities, while not interfering with existing and appropriate political accountability. 

The National Directorate is a consolidation of the development and support functions of the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government which have evolved over the years as part of its role as the parent Government Department of the local authorities who provide fire services in Ireland.

National Directorate Structure:

The National Directorate is a tri-partite structure with a Management Board, a Consultative Committee and the Fire services and Emergency Management Section of the Department.  The three components operate as inter-dependent elements of a functioning National Directorate.

The Management Board provides for integration of different strands of service management. It will propose priorities, support policy-making and oversee consistent implementation of the nationally-determined priorities and policies.  The Consultative Committee provides a forum for representation of/consultation with stakeholder interests.

The Directorate is headed by a National Director and is structured around four core business units - an Emergency Management/ Civil Protection Team, a Fire Safety and Development Team, an Administration Team, and a Fire Service Operations Team. 

Contact Details:

Phone Number  01-8882000
Fax No.            01-8882645 
National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Managment
Customs House,               
Dublin 1.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What difference will new structures make ?

The objective of the National Directorate is to create:

'A new, effective model of integrated leadership, development support and oversight by central government (under the aegis of the Local Government Division of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government) of local authorities provision of consistently effective, safe and value for money fire and emergency services in Ireland.'

The new arrangements are intended to put in place a solid management structure at central government level with a clear mandate and visibility to develop national policy and drive consistent achievement of value for money services by local authorities, while not interfering with existing and appropriate political accountability.

The most recent fire service development programme sponsored and promoted by the Department was the Fire Services Change Programme 2005-2007 (FSCP). Following the conclusion of the FSCP, there was a need to ensure that the programmes that were developed during the two years of the FSCP were mainstreamed in the fire service provided by fire authorities, to continue development of the remaining elements to implementation stage and to decide on whether revised structures and arrangements are necessary for further service development.

How will change be achieved ?

The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management is a tri-partite structure with a Management Group, a Consultative Committee and a National Director. The three components will operate as inter-dependent elements of a functioning National Directorate. The Management Group will provide for integration of different strands of service management, with appropriate external members. It will establish priorities, support policy-making and oversee consistent implementation of nationally-determined priorities and policies. The Consultative Committee will provide a forum for representation/consultation with stakeholder interests. The Consultative Committee membership will reflect the core business areas of the Directorate.

Management Group

What will it do ?

The Management Group will take an over-arching view of the delivery of the fire and emergency services to identify and develop improvements in accordance with best international practice. It will also lead the development of national standards for the various facets of the fire service. It will monitor the performance of fire and emergency services by fire authorities and oversee the operation of the major emergency management programme. The Group may recommend areas for research by the National Director and provide related services as requested by the Minister.

How will it operate ?

It will meet each quarter or more frequently if the Group so decides. The National Director with the staff of the Directorate will provide secretarial and other assistance required by the Group. It will establish priorities, support policy making and oversee consistent implementation of nationally determined priorities and policies.

What are expectations ?

The Group through its research and development work will advance a more central direction and leadership for the fire and emergency services. The purpose is to advance the development of national standards for the provision of a high quality and efficient service to the public.

What are costs ?

The National Directorate will be provided with the current financial and staffing resources. The cost of meetings and research work will be met from current resources.

Consultative Committee

What will it do ?

The Consultative Committee, which will be representative of the main stakeholders, will be consulted by the Management Group on appropriate proposals it may develop such as revised standards and new initiatives. The view of the Committee will be taken into consideration before any such standards, policies etc. are promulgated. The Committee may, on its own initiative, offer advice to the Management Group on any relevant area related to the fire and emergency services which it considers appropriate, especially related to the three major functional areas of the Directorates work programme. The Committee's advice will also be sought on the annual fire training programme which is currently provided by the Fire Services Council.

How will it operate ?

The Committee will meet quarterly or more frequently if requested by the Management Group, by the National Director or on its own initiative if there are matters which require early consideration. The National Director and his staff will provide secretarial and other assistance required by the Committee.

What are expectations ?

To achieve progress in improving the quality of fire and emergency services, co-operation of all the stakeholders in the services, management and firefighters is necessary. Such co-operation requires all parties involved to work together and this requires dialogue and agreement among the stakeholders in the spirit of partnership.

What are costs ?

The operating cost of the Consultative Committee will be met from the existing resources provided in the Department's estimates for fire and emergency services.

Has the new Directorate any powers ?

Fire and Emergency Services are provided by fire authorities (local authorities) as provided for in the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003. The role of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is to promote the development and support the fire authorities' fire and emergencies services and this will continue under the new Directorate. This includes the provision of funding for the provision of fire stations, appliances, equipment and communications facilities.

What is Minister's role ?

The Directorate will report to the Minister through the normal Departmental structures. It will develop new or amended policy issues for approval and will respond to Ministerial policy initiatives for the fire and emergency services. The Minister's responsibility for the service to the Oireachtas is not changed.

What is Department's role ?

The new National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management will operate under the aegis of the Local Government Division of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The Department, principally via the National Director, remains the key policy component supported by and interacting with the local government system at operational level, with oversight and implementation being driven through the Management Group and Consultative Committee components.

Will there be an increase in funding ?

The National Directorate will operate within existing staffing and financial resources. It will review both future capital and current expenditure requirements of the service.

Will there be an increase in staff recruitment ?

Staff numbers at local level are a matter for each individual local authority in compliance with Government policy on public sector numbers. There is no increase in staffing levels at national level. The Directorate will monitor requirements at local level going forward.

Fire Services Council

The Fire Services Council is a corporate body established by the Minister for the Environment on 22 June 1983 under the Fire Services Act, 1981. The function of the Council is to provide courses of instruction for fire service personnel and other persons and to advise the Minister in relation to the educational and training needs of fire service personnel.

The Council has published the Senior Officer, Junior Officer and Fire Fighters Handbooks for fire services personnel. These handbooks define basic principles for fire service work both managerial and operational aspects. A companion handbook, for Road Traffic Accidents, is currently being developed by the Council.

Why is the Fire Services Council not being retained ?

The new Directorate is intended to be the focal centre of the fire and emergency services. Training at national and local levels is a very important and necessary function in the fire and emergency services, especially to meet requirements of the Health, Safety and Welfare Acts. The annual training programme operated by the Fire Services Council will continue under the supervision of the National Director and no changes are contemplated. The move to incorporate FETAC competency requirements in the current and future training courses will be advanced with a view to implementation at the beginning of 2010. The external advice provided by the Fire Services Council will be provided through the new Directorate.

The incorporation of the functions of the Fire Services Council into the Directorate is in keeping with the view expressed in the OECD Report on analysis and conclusions on integrating public services in Ireland and with Government policy on reviewing the current number of corporate bodies. While there will not be any substantive monetary savings, inclusion of all aspects of policy and services at national level into the new Directorate should lead to a more effective and efficient approach to providing services