Fire services call out fees

From 1st September 2012 there will be only two charge rates for fire brigade call outs.

These are:

• €500 for chimney fires.
• €675 for the 1st hour or part thereof (to the nearest quarter of an hour) for all other incidents for each Fire Brigade crew which attends the incident.

There is a minimum charge of one hour.

These charges apply irrespective of the day of the week, irrespective of whether the day is a holiday or not, and irrespective of the time of the day or night.
The Finance Section of Westmeath Co. Co. will process all invoicing.

Waiver System

Owners of domestic premises can apply for a reduction in charges for fire brigade attendance for chimney or domestic premises fires, subject to the domestic premises owners meeting certain criteria. A maximum reduction of 50% of the charge is available. To be eligible for a waiver, the owner of a domestic premises must fall into one of the following categories:

• be unemployed,
• be in receipt of Social Welfare payment, or
• hold a valid Medical Card.

In addition, in exceptional circumstances in the case of hardship, anyone may appeal against the charge, and the charge will be reviewed on an individual basis.

All processing for waivers is to be carried out by the Finance Section of Westmeath Co. Co.