We're not the fun police...We want people to be happy but safe

DUBLIN Fire Brigade have insisted they're not the “fun police” and declared they just want youngsters “to have a happy but a safe Halloween”.

- BY DANNY DE VAAL

Newly appointed Chief Fire Officer Greg O'Dwyer also revealed he reckons this year will be another busy one for firefighters after last year saw the highest number of callouts in a decade.

It was revealed that the Dublin Fire Brigade received 494 calls, 421 of which were Halloween-related, during the 24 hours between midnight on October 31 and midnight on November 1, 2024.

During the same period, there were 435 ambulance callouts. In 2023, there were just 185 Halloween-related calls.

He said firefighters are still in the dark about what caused the spike last year, and said up until that point, the number of incidents was declining.

Each year, groups of youth stockpile wooden pallets and tyres to build a bonfire.

In recent years, a hotline has been established so that residents in an area can report where materials are being stored, allowing them to be removed.