‘Sandbag policy’ is nonsense
Earl hits out at red tape
A rural councillor has said that red tape shouldn’t be allowed to stand in the way of flood protection for a Trossachs village.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service officers told Stirling Council’s public safety committee on Tuesday was told the council’s own “sandbag policy” could stand in the way of the main properties at risk from flooding in Aberfoyle being given flooding sacks to keep on the premises.
This was despite the fact it was acknowledged the village was a special case, with flooding often so quick that people didn’t have time to get their hands on sacks.
However, committee convener Councillor Martin Earl described the situation as “bureaucratic nonsense”.
Callander, Aberfoyle, Stirling and Bridge of Allan fire stations have now been stocked with bulk storage flood sacks.
Sand bags, flood bags and absorbing gel sacks are considered “first strike” property protection defences, and it’s planned that two pallets of sandbags will be located at the four fire stations during adverse weather.
Stirling Council is also purchasing bulk quantities of flood products for SFRS to store and distribute and a joint protocol is being drafted to determine what triggers would activate issue of the flood sacks.
SFRS officials said: “There is a very unique situation in Aberfoyle.
“When flooding alerts are issued sometimes it is not quick enough to warn the public of impending flooding.
“It has been asked if flood sacks could be pre-issued to the 22 properties that have historically flooded.
“It makes sense to us that people have these in their properties and houses before flooding impacts, however Stirling Council has said it may breach sandbag policy and if this happens in Aberfoyle other communities may say they want them as well.
“We need the council to say they will pre-issue them in Aberfoyle.”
The officials said that while the suggestion of pumps for flooding had often been discussed, in some cases they would be “absolutely useless” for example in cases where power had been cut off a generator would then be needed at the site to operate the pump, plus there also had to be somewhere else to put the volume of water that may be involved.
They added: “If you look at Aberfoyle it might just put the flood water down the road a bit.
“You also have to consider that as a person leaves a property, what do you to in terms of training the next person who moves in to it?
“We really need to go to property level protection surveys and there has been a suggestion that the Fire and Rescue Service are the best people to do this.
“If we can get our part time firefighters in Aberfoyle, Balfron and Callander to a level of training where they can perform these surveys we can hold seminars in these key areas.”
Studies were also underway to determine whether high volume pumps would be useful when flooding occurs in areas such as Aberfoyle, Callander, Bridge of Allan and Stirling.
Councillor Earl said people in floodprone Aberfoyle properties should be pre-issued with the flood sacks.
He added: “I’m very pleased this paper has come forward because it has been highlighted that there are some quick wins and also some harder things to achieve.
“From the point of view of the Fire and Rescue Service and our own council officers there has got to be a focus on this.
“There’s lots that can be done and what has been done has been great.
“I’m frustrated by the potential bureaucratic nonsense that we might be faced with in terms of our policy.
“If the policy isn’t right we should change the policy.
“If it means a tweak to the policy to allow the sandbags to be distributed to properties in Aberfoyle then we need to do it.”
Councillors were also told there was potential to use a garage in Aberfoyle, which is on community owned land, to locate a storage container during the winter.
The range of flood support materials will be subject to agreement and the list so far - door guards, flood barriers, flood hydrosnakes, sacks, PPE, duct tape, lighting, sandbags etc - was “not exhaustive”.