2026-05-14

I raise this matter on behalf of retained firefighters of County Louth and all the regions of Ireland, particularly those who are approaching mandatory retirement at the age of 62 and who are not in a financial position to retire. Retained firefighters make up around two thirds of Ireland’s fire services and are particularly critical in rural areas like County Louth and regional communities. For many retained firefighters, this is not an abstract policy issue. It is a very real and immediate financial one. These are people with mortgages still to pay, families to support and limited pension provision reflecting the parttime and oncall nature of retained service. As it stands, approximately 300 retained firefighters are due to retire at 62 over the next year. When they leave the service, many fall into a gap where they are too young to access the State pension at 66 yet are no longer allowed to work in the role they are trained, willing and medically fit to perform. The outcome is deeply problematic. Experienced firefighters are effectively pushed onto social welfare for up to four years, not because they are incapable of work but because policy gives them no other option. That is difficult to justify socially, financially or ethically. These are people who have served their communities for decades, who have responded to emergencies at all hours and who continue to meet medical and fitness requirements, yet the system tells them "No". The system tells them that they must stop working at 62, with the State carrying the cost. This discussion is not about lowering standards or overlooking safety. Firefighting is a physically demanding role and that must always be respected but we already acknowledge this reality through ongoing fitness, medical and capability assessments. Fitness and competence and not age alone are what determine safe service. I am, therefore, asking whether we should allow retained firefighters to continue working up to 65 years of age on a voluntary basis subject to strict and ongoing medical and occupational fitness criteria. Importantly, I also want to raise the issue of timing. Even if there is agreement in principle, legislation takes time but these retirements are happening now. Without action, we stand to lose hundreds of trained, experienced retained firefighters in the coming months - people our communities depend on. Summertime is coming and, in Waterford, they will be out fighting all the wildfires. Look at times of flooding. These are the people we rely on. For that reason, I believe we should examine the possibility of an interim or shortterm measure to retain these firefighters while any permanent legislative solution is being developed. This could include a temporary administrative or regulatory mechanism allowing service beyond 62 on a yeartoyear basis, strict conditional extensions subject to enhanced medical and fitness assessments, and a clearly defined timeframe to act as a bridge to legislative reform, not a substitute for it. Such an interim approach would allow us to hold onto valuable, experienced personnel, avoid unnecessary reliance on social welfare, and ensure continuity of fire cover, particularly in areas already under pressure. Above all, it is about fairness and dignity. It is about recognising that imposing forced retirement at 62 on retained firefighters - many of whom cannot afford to retire and remain fit to serve - creates real human and financial costs. I believe we owe it to these workers to at least examine whether a better, more proportionate approach is possible both in the short term and for the future.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and providing me with the opportunity to address it on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy John Cummins. The current mandatory retirement age of firefighters is 62, which was raised from 58 in 2024. It is the same for all uniformed services, including the Irish Prison Service, An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces. A firefighter may retire upon attaining the minimum age of 55 years. If a firefighter wishes to serve beyond that age, the fire authority that employs them must satisfy themselves as to their medical fitness, having undergone the appropriate medical assessment. The firefighter may continue to serve while undergoing annual fitness tests but must retire on or before turning 62. In 2024, the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act amended the law in relation to the age at which certain public servants were required to retire. Part 11 of the Act provided that the then Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform could make orders enabling line Ministers - justice, defence and housing - to make regulations regarding the retirement age of uniformed services. Regulations were made in August 2024, with the consent of then Minister for public expenditure, raising the mandatory retirement age to 62. The provision of fire services in a local authority's functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needed and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage supports fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters, and providing capital funding support for equipment and priority infrastructural projects. Engagement with staff-side associations, including on the mandatory retirement age and medical assessments, is a matter for each local authority as employer. The Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, will act on the local authority's behalf in industrial relations matters in the normal way. Following a Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, agreement with retained firefighters in September 2023, approximately 630 new recruits have entered service as fire authorities implement the mandated minimum crew number of 12 in each fire station. This is in support of the revised model of service provision rostering week on, week flexibility and four weeks paid annual leave. I note that the recently enacted but not yet commenced Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Act 2025 does not apply to an employee whose employment is subject to the maximum retirement age required by law, at which the employee is obliged to retire or be retired. Therefore, this Act excludes firefighters and other uniformed services. Given that this matter was addressed less than two years ago in consultation with staff representative bodies, the Department of housing has no plans to revisit this.

I thank the Minister of State for his answer, but it does not go to the heart of the issue, which is that these retained firefighters have to retire at 62. I am going to repeat much of what I said in my four minutes. These people have bills to pay and families to support. They are fighting fit and able to work. They want to work, and there is dignity in the fact that they want to work. They want to be of service to their communities, so the very fact that we have over 300 retained firefighters who are going to have to retire within the next year, a large portion of whom are in my constituency of County Louth, and are saying that they do not want to do so means that we cannot just shut the door and say that we reviewed this matter two years ago and, therefore, we are going to stop there and wait another few years. These are people's lives. This is people's work. This is their dignity. The gap is four years. Four years of having to rely on social welfare is not enough. It is not the right answer to give to people who go out there day in and day out to fight on our behalf. When there is a flood, who do we call? When there is a fire, who do we call? This is not "Ghostbusters". These are valuable members of our community. We cannot just sit back and say "No" to somebody because of their age. I could go further and say that we could consider this to be age discrimination. Why is it 62? If you are medically fit and want to work, we should not be putting those barriers up. Think of the loss of knowledge and experience. We are constantly trying to employ and attract new talent into the fire services. If we continue to have this gap of knowledge and experience, who is going to pass that down to the new recruits? Who is going to be there? I thank the Minister of State for his answer, but it is just not good enough.

I agree with the sentiment and point she has raised. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for local government, whose remit it is to engage with local authorities as those acting as employers for firefighters. In other uniformed services, a request is sometimes made to, for example, the Garda Commissioner as regards gardaí who want to work for an extended period above the normal retirement age. I feel that this is something that could be looked at for the firefighters. It could be utilised, reflecting on the level of knowledge, skill and expertise many firefighters have and the need to hold that in their respective fire stations so as to train those who are new entrants or need years to build up that capacity. Notwithstanding that, the fire services had a significant campaign just two years ago. The issues at that time were very much focused on recruitment. There is an opportunity for further engagement on the extension of the retirement age that the Deputy is appealing for. How that can be supported, along with the adequate resourcing, is something that local authorities need to continue to review, ensuring that we have essential services delivered by firefighters, we have the infrastructure, training and equipment they need, and we have continuous investment into the sector. I will certainly take all of this back to the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, and I will ensure that the Deputy gets the relevant information following the discussion here today.