Fears for firefighters’ jobs from plan to close stations

A NUMBER of fire stations across Scotland are to be closed at the end of this financial year – with fears for firefighters’ jobs.

Leaked documents meant for senior Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) officials were seen by the BBC.

The documents described the current model as not being able to last beyond the financial year.

However, the SFRS said it was not about cuts, but was instead a ‘transformation’.

The stations that could close have not been revealed, but one local resident thinks the Highlands and Islands will be affected.

Community councillor and former firefighter George Berry said: ‘Apparently the Highlands and Islands are going to be particularly hit. No-one knows when, or where, or who. It’s really an amber alert for the future. The brigade is in tatters. It’s in a dreadful state.

‘It would be detrimental to the community. There was a plan put forward years ago to make sure rural communities were serviced. No community should be without a fire engine.

‘Imagine the garage fire in Appin if that station had been closed. The situation is absolutely grim. All it will take is one major incident – one road closure involving an HGV or a bus and we will have chaos.

‘We talk about inviting more and more people to the West Coast, but if you want the people, you also need to have the coverage. Something has to be done.’

A spokesperson for the Fire Brigades Union said: ‘Firefighters were promised that the single SFRS would protect the front line but it absolutely has not.

‘We have seen year-on-year real-terms budget cuts that have seen the loss of more than 700 front-line firefighters, the closure of five operational fire control rooms and fire appliances lying idle in fire stations due to insufficient firefighters to crew them.

‘Firefighters are sick to the back teeth of turning up for work to be told that there aren’t enough firefighters to crew the appliance.

‘The constant budget cuts are unsustainable and investment is crucial in order to protect our communities and deliver a world-class fire and rescue service.’

A spokesperson for the SFRS said the service must change in order to meet ‘new and emerging risks’.

‘This is not about cuts,’ he added. ‘It is about the transformation of a delivery model that has served us well but was designed for the risks of more than 70 years ago.

‘We need to ask ourselves how we can now deploy the combined resources of the world’s fourth largest fire and rescue service in a more efficient and effective way.

‘No decisions have been made. We want to enter into a conversation with our staff and the public to ensure they have a voice in a safe and planned transformation that will allow the service to do so much more for the people of Scotland.’