Defence Forces helicopters were called in to assist fire services fighting gorse fires or wildfires three times so far this year.

Minister for Housing James Browne was confirming the figures in response to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne.

The body that co-ordinates emergency responses to support local authority fire services can request Department of Defence assistance should it be deemed necessary due to the extent of fires, the location of the fire, the area threatened and a fire’s threat to homes, infrastructure and forestry.

Minister Browne stated that where air corps support is not available, a request for support may be put out to private helicopter providers for assistance, but that the Department of Housing does not keep count of the number of such instances.

Defence Forces personnel may also be requested to help get wildfires under control.

The dates and location of air corps deployments to gorse or wildfires in 2025 to date were: 7 April to Letterkeane Forest in Co Mayo, 19 May to Tara Hill, Wexford, and to Gortaganny, Roscommon, on the same day.

Air corps helicopters also assisted the fighting of gorse fires in Co Antrim on two mid-June dates in 2023.