MOBILISATION
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Mobilisation Officer D/O Mario Lodola.
OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT District Officer Mario Lodola talks to Adam Hyland to provide an insight into the role and responsibilities of the DFB Mobilisation Officer.
he role of Mobilisation Officer, or “Mobi” as the position is colloquially known, has a long and proud tradition within Dublin Fire Brigade. Initially established more than 50 years ago, it is the role of the Senior Operational District Officer on each Watch and involves planning and overseeing the effective and efficient management of the delivery of a wide range of services to the public on a dayto-day basis. “When people outside of Dublin Fire Brigade hear of the Mobilisation Officer, they might think of somebody who gets things moving, and to some extent this is true,” D/O and Mobilisation Officer with C Watch Mario Lodola tells me. “The role has many responsibilities, but the primary one is the daily management of all operational Brigade resources, and to ensure DFB is maintained in a state of operational readiness at all times. I manage operational personnel and utilise available resources to ensure adequate Fire and EMS cover is maintained across the city and county at all times. “The Mobi also provides leadership and sets the standard across the Watch, providing a command and coordinating role that ensures each fire station across the city is fully crewed at all times.” He adds: “This sometimes requires overtime to fill these positions, and as you can imagine, this can make you very popular or unpopular!” Working not just within our own organisation but with other emergency and essential services including An Garda Siochána, Coastguard, HSE and Civil Defence means regular inter-agency co-ordination/communications is often required, particularly during protracted and larger incidents, or extreme and severe weather events. “We also have a commitment to the provision of Marine Emergency Response in the event of a fire or other emergency on a vessel at sea, when a request for assistance may be received from the Coastguard,” D/O Lodola tells me. “This requires DFB to provide significant resources including firefighters and paramedics, and my responsibility
FIRECALL SPRING
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