Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Deliberate fires a ‘needless drain’ on emergency crews
FIREFIGHTERS attended almost 800 malicious fires in Dundee this year – but said the high number can be partly blamed on the Covid19 pandemic.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) attended 2,047 malicious fires across Tayside and Fife between January 1 and December 16.
Of those, 789 were in Dundee, 104 were in Angus and there were 155 call outs in Perth and Kinross.
Fife accounted for the rest of the malicious fires – almost half the total.
Mark Bryce, the SFRS local senior officer for Stirling, Clackmannanshire and Fife, says the high number of deliberate fires is a “needless drain” on resources.
But he added that the pandemic restrictions had prevented the SFRS staff from going out to educate youngsters on the risks of setting fires.
He said: “We have seen a higher number of deliberate fires in the Fife area than usual.
“Deliberate fires have the potential to cause injury and even death or cause devastating damage to our environment and properties.
“They are a needless drain on emergency service resources at a difficult time.
“Our firefighters and community action teams have been and will continue to work extremely hard to engage with the public and promote safety messages.”
Mr Bryce said the fire service is trying to reach young people in other ways.
He added: “We are developing new ways to provide educational input to schools and young people and we ask parents, guardians, and carers to help by making sure that children and young people are aware of the risks and consequences of deliberate fire-setting.
“We also continue to liaise with premises’ occupiers, particularly in town centres, to give advice on refuse storage and security, which can be a cause of deliberate fires.”