D Friday, December 4, 2009 METRO BY ROSS McDONAGH High-rise plans out of reach of fire service HIGH-RISE apartments given the go ahead for Dublin are fire tragedies waiting to happen, a TD has claimed. Dublin City Council voted in favour of a high-rise policy for the citys new development plan, which would see apartments up to 16-storeys high be- ing built in areas such as Ballymun, Pelletstown, Phibsboro and the Naas Road, while buildings at Heuston and Connolly Stations could go higher. But Fine Gaels housing spokesman Terence Flanagan said fire safety pro- visions are already insufficient and are not being enforced. I do have concerns that the Govern- ment is too passive in relation to the threat of fire, he said, adding: There are huge numbers of apartment blocks where corners have been cut. He claimed the fire brigade do not have the equipment to tackle fires or carry out rescues in such high rise buildings, but the Department of the Environment said: We feel that [the fire brigade] are equipped to handle any situation. But a fire department source said ladders can only reach the fourth floor, and at optimum pressure, hoses can only reach a further three floors. A snow-covered mutt enjoys the snow at the Lofer Alp, in Salzburg. Skiers and snowboarders are thrilled after meteorologists predicted snowfalls for the upcoming days in large parts of Austria Picture: AP SluSH puppy Room- mate: Knox Student tells jury: I did not kill Meredith AMANDA Knox, accused of murdering British student Meredith Kercher, told a court she does not want to be branded an assassin. The 22-year-old American addressed the courtroom in Perugia, Italy, just days before a verdict is due. Prosecutors accuse her of stabbing 21-year-old Ms Kercher to death in November 2007, but she has said they are only doing so because it is their job. Knox, who has been behind bars for two years, told the court: I am afraid of being defined as something I am not and by actions that are not mine. Im afraid of having the mask of a murderer forced on to my skin. The semi-naked body of Leeds student Miss Kercher was found in a pool of blood in her room in the house she shared with Knox in Perugia on her year abroad. A verdict is expected later this week. index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html