Response by crews to Braeview blaze praised

Firefighters’ response to the blaze at Braeview Academy has been praised by managers and a Scottish minister.

Concerns had previously been voiced about firefighters from Dundee being drafted in to plug shortages in Aberdeen, potentially putting Dundee residents at risk. The organisation’s top brass acknowledged there had been a decrease in firefighter numbers nationwide but insisted there was no negative impact on the public’s safety.

Kirsty Darwent, chairwoman of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service board, said the response to the fire at Braeview Academy, which required additional crews from Angus, Perthshire and Fife to be called in, demonstrated the importance of resource sharing.

At Wednesday’s SFRS annual performance review in Dundee, she said: “The response to Braeview Academy was an example of how resources were drawn together from different areas in Scotland and how Dundee benefited from that. For us it’s not so much the numbers, it’s about making sure the right people are at the right place at the right time.”

The Minister for Community Safety, Ash Denham, said: “From firefighting to search and rescue, water rescue and high ropes work, I have been struck by the commitment and professionalism displayed by all SFRS firefighters, control room staff and support staff and that was clear last night in the response to the fire at Braeview Academy in Dundee.”

Dundee Labour councillors Michael Marra and Richard McCready have been assured that the practice of sending Dundee fire crews to Aberdeen to cover staff shortages would not become routine.