Fire service to cut staff and temporarily reduce appliances to make savings

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has said it will need to cut staff to meet savings targets.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said the SFRS has made several cuts over the last decade, with the loss of more than 1,100 firefighter jobs, the closure of five control-rooms and a 14% increase in response time per incident.

The SFRS is projected to receive a flat cash budget settlement from the Scottish Government for the next four years.

In turn, the SFRS must make £36 million in cuts, including £11 million in 2023 and 2024 alone.

The FBU warned the service is facing a “real crisis” after plans emerged to strip appliances from 10 stations across the country.

The SFRS said the appliances will be withdrawn on a temporary basis from September from stations in Maryhill, Govan and Cowcaddens in Glasgow, Greenock, Hamilton, Kingsway East in Dundee, Perth, Dunfermline, Glenrothes and Methil.

SFRS assistant chief officer David Farries said the locations were chosen where the removal will have the least impact on response times, following a review of data.

He said: “Like all public services, we are operating in a challenging financial period and require to make £11 million savings this year.

“These measures accommodate that and, moving forward, the reality is that we will need to reduce staff numbers to meet further financial savings.

“However, not all decisions are financially driven and we also need to modernise as a service. It’s right and proper that we adapt and identify efficiencies to deliver value for money while maintaining operational resilience.”

The fire service has a policy of no compulsory redundancies.

Mr Farries added: “These are second or third appliances, which can at times be unavailable for a number of reasons.

“When this is the case, we have to increase our use of overtime or bring firefighters from other stations to cover absences. This represents an unplanned disruption and ultimately comes at a cost to the service.”

FBU Scottish secretary John McKenzie said: “Recent events at Jenners in Edinburgh and Cannich in the Highlands show the dangers our members face.

“The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is heading for a real crisis if the Scottish Government continues to underfund this essential public service.

“The withdrawal of appliances at these stations is the latest in a long line of cuts that are undermining our members’ ability to respond to incidents in the communities we serve.

“We cannot go on like this, enough is enough.”

The union is calling upon its members and the communities they serve to lobby the Scottish Government for increased investment.

An FBU statement said: “Over the coming weeks and months, we will be lobbying the Scottish Government, MSPs and local councillors to alert them to this crisis and seek their support to bring about change.

“There is no hiding place for our elected representatives any more, this is too important for that.

“They need to decide which side they are on – the side of communities and the firefighters who keep them safe, or the side of those who put lives in danger through impossible budget allocations?”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Firefighters play a vital role in protecting our communities and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has continued to deliver the high standard of services required to keep Scotland safe, and we are providing £368.1 million – an increase of £14.4 million in budget for SFRS this year.

“Operational decisions on the allocation of resources are a matter for the SFRS board and chief officer. These changes in appliances are temporary and are prioritised in a manner that minimises risk.

“It is right that SFRS continues to review its operations to ensure it is effective and delivering value for money. Decisions on how SFRS spends its budget is a matter for the SFRS board.”