Firefighters descend on Holyrood to oppose cuts

Scottish Labour leader backs brigades union as it stages protest

Fire service cuts are slowing down the response to life-and-death incidents by up to 10 minutes, a Fife firefighter has warned.

Hundreds of the frontline rescue staff marched on Holyrood yesterday to protest against reductions to firefighter numbers and the threat of station closures.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard urged the Scottish Government to end the cuts that have seen 700 firefighter jobs lost since 2013, as he addressed the rally outside the Scottish Parliament.

A leaked Scottish Fire and Rescue Service document revealed the brigade was looking at the possibility of having to “re-balance” staff numbers and review its “station footprint”.

Speaking at the Fire Brigades Union protest, Kris Edwards, a Dunfermline firefighter, said they are “struggling” to cover areas safely because vacancies from retiring staff have not been filled.

“It’s not so much that we are not able to attend but sometimes to get the additional support may take an extra five to 10 minutes, which in a fire situation can be all it takes for someone to lose a life,” he said.

Mr Leonard told the protest: “Now is the time, now is the hour for the Scottish Government to step up to the plate, use the powers that you’ve got, stop the cuts in public services, stop the cuts in the fire and rescue services.”

The fire service received some good news from the Budget that it will no longer have to pay VAT, but campaigners say that must be backdated to secure an extra £140 million for Scotland’s emergency services.

However, the Chancellor Philip Hammond was hammered by a series of union leaders at the FBU event for not improving the pay of public sector workers such as firefighters and allowing key services to suffer.

In his debut at First Minister’s Questions, Mr Leonard called on Nicola Sturgeon to explain why the public and firefighters are seeing a “service in decline” on her watch.

Ms Sturgeon said the service’s operational budget had been increased by £21.7m to support investment in equipment and other resources.

She said £10m next year would be reclaimed as a result of the new VAT exemption.

Ms Sturgeon said pay negotiations were also ongoing.

Picture: PA. Firefighters at the rally outside the Scottish Parliament.