Fire Service
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-02
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Frankie Feighan (FG), Sligo-Leitrim

I thank Senator Kennelly for instigating this discussion on the subject of the retirement age for retained firefighters. Many Members are dedicated advocates for the terms and conditions of retained firefighters and that advocacy and support is greatly appreciated.
I am very pleased to have the opportunity to address the House and update Members on progress to date on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Senator Kennelly raised the question of the retirement age of the retained firefighters. I want to address the specific changes the Government has introduced in that regard. Before I do, however, I want to first acknowledge the vital contribution these dedicated men and women make every day to public safety, community resilience and the protection of life and property.
In recent years, the Government has undertaken a comprehensive programme of reform aimed at strengthening the retained fire service. The focus has been on making the role more attractive and sustainable, supporting better work-life balance, increasing financial security and career opportunities and raising awareness and driving recruitment nationally.
Local authorities are now implementing the terms of a September 2023 Workplace Relations Commission agreement with retained firefighters, in conjunction with an accepted Labour Court recommendation of February 2025, on an uplift to the retainer payment made to retained firefighters, which now provides guaranteed fixed minimum earnings of approximately €25,000 for new recruits as of 1 June 2026.
That guaranteed payment is in addition to any operational activity-based earnings. Retained firefighters have secured improved work-life balance through a new model of service provision of structured time off with a 24-week-on, 24-week-flexible roster with four weeks’ annual leave per annum. This model provides for the option, while placing no obligation on retained firefighters, to attend incidents during their flexible weeks. This is equivalent to a 50% reduction in incident attendance obligations from the pre-WRC agreement position. A national standard level of 12 crew per retained fire station has been established. This rise in crewing numbers equates to an approximate increase of 20% in retained firefighter numbers from the pre-WRC agreement position.
The recruitment of additional retained firefighters is helping to build capacity and resilience in our retained fire service. These measures strengthen response capability and fire safety across the communities served by a network of 201 retained fire stations. In the period from the WRC agreement of September 2023 to May 2026, 716 new recruits successfully entered local authority fire services, showing the success of the revised terms and conditions in addressing retained fire service recruitment concerns.
Returning to the question of the retirement age of retained firefighters, in 2024 the Government extended the mandatory retirement age to 62 to further strengthen fire services. This was done through the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024. This Act amended, among other matters, the law in relation to the age at which certain public servants are required to retire. The former Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage made regulations in August 2024, with the consent of the then Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, raising the mandatory retirement age to 62. The move to 62 for retained firefighters aligns them with this broader approach and promotes standardisation. In practice, this means firefighters may retire at 55, but if they remain fit and pass the medical tests, they may remain in service until their 62nd birthday, at which point they must retire. This extension of the mandatory retirement age to 62 strengthens fire services through retention of long-serving personnel.
This is not answering the Deputy’s question, I do not think, but he might get something in the conclusion.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-02/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:09+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-02