Have say on future of 999 service

Monklands residents are being asked to give their views on the future shape of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

The three-month consultation was launched online yesterday, setting out proposals to transform SFRS“to meet modern risks”and expand firefighters’roles in preventing incidents and protecting communities.

It includes seeking views on training and equipping firefighters for an“expanded role” dealing with new risks and helping reduce the burden on other services; as well as making use of new technology and a more flexible approach to crewing to meet demand.

Officials say the existing model, dating to the 1940s, no longer meets current needs; with crews attending 91,000 emergencies in the year top March 2017 including water rescues and weather-related flooding, and fires having decreased by 40 per cent in the past decade.

Firefighters are responding to new risks such as terror threats and the home safety support needed by a growing elderly population; they visited more than 70,000 homes in the 12-month period and have been responding to out-ofhospital cardiac arrests in a trial alongside the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Chief officer Alasdair Hay said:“We want people to tell us their thoughts and walk beside us as we shape a modern service fit for the future.

“We exist to save lives and ensure wellbeing, and can better achieve that by re-aligning stations, equipment and people to the needs of a modern Scotland; we are also proposing a new firefighter role so they can prevent and respond to new risks.

“The public deserves maximum value from the service it funds, but can be assured that the transformation of SFRS will be planned and safe.

“It’s a bold step but one that is necessary; rooted in what intelligence is telling us about new and emerging risks, and how we need to meet those to protect our communities.”

The consultation can be found at firescotland. gov.uk/transformation/ public-consultation

Fit for future Chief officer Alasdair Hay