Sir, – As a serving member of Dublin Fire Brigade (25 years) I would like to share with the capital’s citizens a concern about its emergency services. There appears to be a concerted effort by a government department, the Health Service Executive and our own city manager’s office to focus entirely on the costs of maintaining the fire service in its current form. There is nothing wrong with that: proper fiscal management of business in the current climate is essential. But Dublin Fire Brigade is not a business, it is a service, and one which gives excellent value for money.

The Department of the Environment and Local Government's "Keeping Communities Safe" document, plus the HSE/DCC current ambulance review have the potential to ruin that service. The ultimate cost would be borne by the citizens, when they dial 999 for any type of emergency only to be told that that service is no longer provided, or, worse still, press 1 for fire, 2 for ambulance, 3 for rescue, 4 to speak to an operator or 0 to leave a message at the tone. Yours, etc,

PAUL STANLEY,

Sub Officer,

A Watch HQ

Townsend Street

Dublin 2