Fire engines ‘at increasing risk of breaking down’

Funding: SFRS needs £400m injection and stations may have to close, says audit

Emergency vehicles risk breaking down on the way to incidents unless the fire service gets a major cash injection, a report warns.

Nearly £400million is needed to upgrade and repair the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s (SFRS) vehicles, equipment and stations, according to an analysis in the Audit Scotland study.

Calling for an extra £80million a year for SFRS over the next decade, the spending watchdog urged bosses to consider closing and sharing properties, which could pave the way for a cull of stations.

Auditor General Caroline Gardner said there has been progress in modernising the service, but “difficult decisions” lay ahead with “how SFRS deploys its people and resources”.

A £393million backlog of repairs to stations and vehicles is “insurmountable without transforming its current model of working and further investment”, Ms Gardner added.

“If capital spending remains at 2017-18 levels, the capital backlog will reach £406million over the next 10 years and the risk of asset failures, such as vehicle breakdowns, will increase significantly,” the report said.

In a foreboding passage for fire stations, the report added: “This may mean closing, moving, sharing or changing the use of some of its properties, as well as considering the range and deployment of its fleet of vehicles.”

Last week, SFRS chief Alasdair Hay insisted there are “no plans” to close Balmossie, the only fire station in Dundee with retained staff.

The Auditor General said in her report that the retained firefighter model is “no longer fit for purpose”, with 20 of the volunteer staff leaving every month.

Scottish Labour’s Daniel Johnson said: “The fact that the situation is so bad that fire engines may not even be able to run is a national scandal that could put lives at risk.”

Meanwhile, the Fire Brigades Union said the service’s transformation plan is forcing their members to play “Russian roulette with the hard-won reputation of a proud profession”.

In a submission to a Holyrood committee reviewing the national police and fire services, the FBU raged against reducing crewing on appliances, cutting night-time cover, replacing fire engines with smaller vehicles and any financial or personnel cuts.

Annabelle Ewing, the Community Safety Minister, said the report shows how “real progress” has been made in reforming the service.

gmcpherson@thecourier.co.uk

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service faces some “difficult decisions” as it undergoes modernisation, says the report by Audit Scotland.