Public will be asked for feedback on overhaul of Wicklow fire service
The Wicklow PeopleWicklow County Council have started the tender process for a consultant to develop a Section 26 Fire Service Plan for Wicklow.
The tender process, commissioned by the local authority is due to close at midday on Friday, April 3, 2026. Following that, assessment and consultation work is expected to take place over the summer months, including a period of public consultation.
A draft plan will then be brought before the relevant Strategic Policy Committee and subsequently the full County Council during the last quarter of 2026.
Section 26 refers to a statutory requirement under the Fire Services Act 1981 which mandates that every fire authority prepare and maintain a Fire and Emergency Operations Plan.
The development of the Section 26 plan in Wicklow includes several critical assessments for the Bray area.
The council will examine detailed costings for establishing a full-time (career) fire service in Bray, moving away from the current "retained" (on-call) model.
The plan will evaluate the feasibility and cost of restoring Bray to a two-pump station, addressing recent downgrades that reduced it to a single pumping appliance.
Wicklow's fire service is currently facing unique pressure compared to many other counties due to a combination of its retained staffing model, its high-growth population, and recent governance challenges.
Unlike neighbouring Dublin Fire Brigade (full-time) or some mixed-model counties, Wicklow Fire Service relies entirely on a retained (part-time) staff of approximately 101 firefighters across 10 stations.
Wicklow operates 10 stations, which is more than neighbouring Kildare (6 stations) or Meath (7 stations), though its total personnel numbers (approx. 94–101) are higher than Kildare's 63.
Critics highlight that Bray, the county's largest town with nearly 40,000 residents, has frequently operated with only 8 available firefighters, leading to response times reportedly reaching up to 30 minutes in some instances.
In 2023, the Wicklow Fire Service was defined by nationwide industrial action and the emergence of a governance crisis regarding its long-missing operational plans.
In June of that year, firefighters began industrial action, including rolling work stoppages that closed 50pc of stations across the county.
By August, the dispute escalated, with unions threatening to "go dark" (cutting all non-life-saving communications).
A deal was finally reached through the Workplace Relations Commission in late August 2023. Retained firefighters voted (63pc in favour) to accept improved terms, which included an increase in the annual retainer (from ~€10,000 to ~€18,000+ for new recruits).
In September 2023, local political pressure revealed a major legal oversight within Wicklow County Council.
Following parliamentary questions, it was confirmed to Wicklow TD John Brady that the county’s fire service had no current, legally mandated Section 26 Plan in place.
This lack of a plan was described by Deputy Brady as a "dereliction of duty" that allowed significant changes—like the downgrading of Bray Fire Station to a single-pump station—to happen without democratic oversight or a vote by councillors.
The 2023 strike settlement triggered the current ongoing assessment of whether Bray should move to a full-time career model, a process that is still active today.
Wicklow County Council has committed to a meaningful public consultation process, allowing residents to have a say in the final strategy for the county's fire services.
Once costings are finalised, the plan will be used to seek the necessary Government funding to implement a full-time service in Bray.
Deputy Brady has now called on the Tánaiste, Simon Harris, to establish a dedicated working group to oversee the changes
“We cannot afford to wait indefinitely for progress. That is why I am calling on the Tánaiste to immediately establish a working group involving all relevant stakeholders to drive this project forward in parallel with the Section 26 process.
“I have written to Simon Harris calling on him to immediately establish the working group with the sole purpose of delivering the full-time service.”
Deputy Brady believes communities and firefighters across North Wicklow need certainty and clarity on the issue,
“The public deserves to know that emergency response capacity is being strengthened. Delivering a full-time fire service for Bray is fundamentally about public safety, and it must now become a priority.”
While the operational plan moves forward, the station itself has undergone physical upgrades.
In October 2024, Bray Fire Station was officially launched as Wicklow's first fully decarbonised building, featuring energy efficiency improvements that reduced carbon emissions by 100pc.
The broader Bray Municipal District Local Planning Framework process is also currently active, which includes considerations for essential services like the fire brigade in future town development.
Despite the unrest, some other infrastructure projects moved forward in 2023.
Plans for new fire stations in Dunlavin and Baltinglass advanced as part of a national €61 million capital programme.
Planning permission (Part 8) for both stations was formally granted in November 2024. Following the completion of detailed design documents and site investigations in late 2025, both projects have been cleared to proceed and are now scheduled to go out to tender.