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	The&nbsp;Health Service Executive&nbsp;has had to fork out thousands of euro to pay for call-outs of the fire brigade in response to a faulty alarm at an empty psychiatric hospital.</h2>
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		The HSE has admitted it has paid more than &euro;30,000 this year alone to the fire service to cover the costs of call-outs to St Finan&#39;s Hospital in Killarney, Co Kerry.</p>
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		The patients at the three-storey hospital have already been moved to alternative accommodation.</p>
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		But the building &ndash; which dates back to the 1850s and once had 1,000</p>
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		patients &ndash; continues to house some administrative staff and South Doc, the out-of-hours doctors service for Killarney and east Kerry.</p>
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		According to a source, dampness in the almost-vacant building is causing the faulty alarm system to trip.</p>
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		This directly alerts the fire brigade, which then responds to the call. Kerry County Council then charges the HSE to cover the cost of the call-out, which is around &euro;500 each time. So far this year, the fire service has responded to 62 calls.</p>
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		The source said that while the building was still in use as a hospital, staff were on hand to check if the alarm had been sparked by a real emergency and were able to reset the system, averting the need for the fire brigade to respond.</p>
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		&quot;It sometimes used to happen around two or three times a day and then it might not happen again for another few weeks,&quot; said the source, who added that the problem had been compounded by dampness in the old building since the heating was turned off.</p>
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		<strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: 1em;">IMPOSING</strong></p>
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		The last patients at the imposing building &ndash; which is set on 30 acres overlooking Fitzgerald Stadium &ndash; were evacuated in September of last year.</p>
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		The HSE says the fire alarm service in St Finan&#39;s covers the entire three-storey building and is being monitored by an alarm company.</p>
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		In the event of the alarm being activated, this alerts Kerry County Council&#39;s fire service, which is called to the scene.</p>
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		The HSE said this was to ensure the safety of its staff and South Doc&#39;s administrative staff, who still occupy the building. But once these have vacated the building a new alarm system will be put in place that will &quot;reflect the status of the building&quot;.</p>
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		Area manager Michael Fitzgerald said that although the alarm was problematic, this was a cheaper option than upgrading the system.</p>
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		He added: &quot;When the building is totally closed shortly, we will put in a cordoned security system and the fire alarm won&#39;t be as sensitive.&quot;</p>
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		<a href="http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/empty-hospitals-faulty-alarm-cost-hse-30000-29670264.html">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/empty-hospitals-faulty-alarm-cost-hse-30000-29670264.html</a></p>
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