MEAN EXPANDED ROLES FOR 999 HEROES
increases your chances of survival.
“Paramedics can then use the advanced techniques that they have and transport the person to a specialist unit.
“If you can join that chain up, that’s how you get that increase from four per cent to 40 per cent survival.
“The fire service has a huge footprint, so why wouldn’t you use that to save lives?”
Responding to medical emergencies is just one of a raft of changes being proposed to the job of firefighter. Another will be a greater role in responding to terror attacks and severe weather events.
Hay added: “The needs of communities have changed, so the fire service has to change.
“Terrorism is a huge thing now. I think the world stopped in the modern era when 9/11 occurred and on the back of that, we changed our capabilities significantly in the fire service.
“We brought in urban search and rescue so we can rescue people trapped in rubble. Skill sets around chemical or biological weapon attack were developed. We are now seeing even more simple but brutal attacks, such as just driving a car into people.
“The skill sets required to respond need to evolve because if there is a terror attack, the fire service will be there and we need to be properly prepared.
“There is equipment that you need, for example ballistic vests.”
Responding to severe weather is another area where Hay expects firefighters to develop new skills.
He added: “We have always had severe weather, trees on roads, flooding, but the level of disruption and destruction is growing. Now, it is whole communities getting devastated.
“So we need to change and adapt to that. We can put people on the ground and we have vehicles that can travel in difficult conditions, so we need to make sure the fire service is recognised for its abilities.”
In the future, firefighters could also take a greater role in engaging with the community.
Hay added: “Around 40 people a year die in fires in Scotland, but 800 die in slips, trips and falls. When I first joined, 300 died in a fire a year. Every death is a tragedy, but if we could reduce the slips, trips and falls deaths by the same amount through prevention, it would be a tremendous achievement. “I think firefighters are seen as role models and we believe we can take demand for traditional firefighting services out through a preventative approach.” Hay wants the public’s support to carry out his revolution – and he has been given the financial clout to make it happen. The consultation, called Your Service Your Voice starts going out tomorrow. Hay said: “The public are our most important stakeholders. “We are also absolutely listening to our staff. They have asked what we want them to do, they have asked to be paid and trained properly. “All of these changes – moving to a much more coherent approach to terrorism, severe weather, moving into out-of-hospital cardiac arrests – there is no argument that the modern fire service needs to be moving into these areas. “In Scotland, we now have the financial support and most of that money will be spent on new terms and conditions for firefighters because it is a new role. “What hasn’t changed is the primary role of the fire service, which is to save life.We are changing to meet new risks because the world has changed.” Hay hailed the creation of a single national fire service in Scotland. He added: “I now meet directly with ministers and that is a huge advantage. We have a voice that we didn’t have before.”