Dennis Keeley told Stardust inquest firefighting growth followed blaze

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Dublin Fire Brigade chief Dennis Keeley told the Dublin District Coroner’s Court on 7 February 2024 that he believed increases in Dublin’s fire stations and firefighting staff were a direct result of the Stardust fire.

Keeley said the brigade’s pre-incident planning gathers building layouts, access points, water sources and information about high-risk facilities. Crews can access this information while travelling to an incident, and large-venue floor plans are held on laptops.

He said the brigade inspects about 70% of roughly 1,200 licence applications each year and aims to visit every premises at least once every two years. Between 80% and 90% of inspections are unannounced, he said.

Keeley said building standards had improved since 2014 and that updates to regulations had been informed by the Stardust fire. He also said Dublin Fire Brigade did not routinely inspect buildings during construction.

On 18 April 2024, The Journal reported that the Stardust inquests had returned a verdict of unlawful killing in the cases of all 48 victims.