Callers ‘waiting longer’ for 999 fire help

The typical time Scots wait for fire engines to arrive at an emergency has risen every year since the service was centralised almost a decade ago, the Scottish Conservatives have said.

A freedom of information request to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service by the party found the median time to attend 999 callouts was eight minutes and eight seconds last year – 19% higher than six minutes and 50 seconds in 2013.

The median time has risen year-on-year since the eight regional brigades were centralised, according to the data, though the service no longer sets response-time targets.

MSP Russell Findlay, the Conservatives’ community safety spokesman at Holyrood, said: “Response times are critical and a matter of seconds could be the difference between life and death.”

In 2013 Scotland’s eight regional brigades were merged into one, creating the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and making it the largest in the UK.

As part of the merger, the number of control rooms handling 999 calls was cut from eight to three.

According to data released by the fire service, it is the first time the median response time has broken the eight minute barrier.

The Scottish Tories said that in the service’s 2019-22 draft strategic plan, firefighters said their greatest concern was a lack of money from the Scottish Government, as well station closures and reduced crew numbers.

The MSP for West Scotland said: “It’s inevitable that SNP cuts could have serious consequences, not only by potentially putting the public at risk, but demoralising brave firefighters who risk their safety.”