Request for injunction on fire-fighting gear put back again

A request by some Dublin fire fighters for an injunction forcing the withdrawal from service of certain breathing apparatus which they maintain is unreliable was again put back today by the High Court in Dublin.

A full hearing of the application is now expected to be heard on February 13th.

The fire fighters' union, the Irish Fire and Emergency Services Association, maintains, in an afidavit sworn by its chairman John Kidd, that the Scott breathing equipment currently in use has a high failure rate and is a danger to fire fighters. They want Dublin City Council, the parent body of the Dublin Fire Brigade, to have the equipment tested independently.

A hearing on their application was adjourned this morning and it is understood that further affidavits seeking to counter the IFESA assertions will form part of the council’s counter-argument at a hearing on the 13th.

The Health and Safety Authority is monitoring the case and arguments over the equipment. It is expected that the company will also seek to defend the equipment at full hearing of the application.