The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Fear over fire engine repairs
Row: Whistleblower says lives at risk after mechanics moved from Aberdeen to Dundee
A whistleblower claims lives are being put at risk with mechanics forced to travel hundreds of miles to fix brokendown fire engines in Aberdeen.
The repair workshop was transferred from the fire service’s Aberdeen headquarters at Anderson Drive to the asset resource centre at Claverhouse in Dundee in 2016.
The move followed the decision to relocate the city’s control room, with calls also now being handled in Tayside.
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman stressed mechanics were also based in Inverness with four mobile mechanics available to work in the north-east.
However, a concerned Aberdeen firefighter said: “It usually takes over two hours for the mechanic to turn up.
“There are a lot of times when the appliance can be out of action for five hours.
“Little things like fixing headlights can now take three hours.
“It’s risking lives.”
The repair centres based in Inverness and the City of Discovery now deal with the repairs of all vehicles based in the north of Scotland.
However, Aberdeen Liberal Democrat councillor Martin Greig, the former chairman of the Grampian Community Safety Partnership, said the centralisation agenda had been “severely damaging” for the Grampian region.
He said: “The lack of basic facilities locally is completely unacceptable.
“It does not make economic sense to withdraw a service in the area to save money and then have to spend extra on travel costs.
“We obviously need to have mechanics dedicated to Aberdeen and the north-east as a matter of safety.
“The long distance creates the potential for delays in repairs and maintenance.
“It is incredible that Scotland’s third city is without fundamental equipment and services for fire safety.
“The centralisation agenda has been severely damaging for the north-east.”
Sarah O’Donnell, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s director of finance and contractual services, said: “The recently launched facility at Dundee is part of a £3.75million investment
“There are a lot of times when the appliance can be out of action for five hours”
and brings together 33 staff and pools the expertise of our mechanics, stores and property.
“This includes staff from our former Anderson Drive workshop in Aberdeen who are based at Dundee but can be deployed from mobile units across the north.
“Our vehicles and our equipment are obviously essential for our firefighters to stand on the front line to protect the public at times of emergency.
“A standby fire engine is therefore made available while work is carried out by our highly trained team of mechanics on any vehicle requiring repairs.”