Fire service chiefs under pressure over cuts to three Fife fire stations

Councillors described the removal of two pumps and a height appliance from the three stations as unacceptable. It comes at a time when a report to Kirkcaldy area committee next week will show an increase in deliberate fires in the district.

Scottish Fire & Rescue Service (SRFS) has to find savings of £11m this year, and it proposes a temporary removal of second or third appliances from Glenrothes, Methil and Dunfermline Fire Stations, with effect from September. The service is also axing a high reach appliance at Kirkcaldy. It will be covered by Dunfermline which is getting a more modern, specialist vehicle redeployed from Crewe Toll in Edinburgh.

In total, ten stations across Scotland will lose a second or third appliance as part of the cuts.

David Farries, director of service delivery, said: “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.”

And he stressed: “We will always ensure the resources we have and our people are best placed to protect communities.”

But, reaction among councillors has been one of concern, with several writing to the Chief Fire Officer and the Scottish Government to push for a re-think.

Councillor Ian Cameron, convenor of Kirkcaldy area committee, said: “The implications for Kirkcaldy area and essentially everywhere east of Dunfermline are worrying.

“This decision is packaged in terms of investment in vehicles and the use of new technology, but the reality is that any risk assessment will show that people living at Ravenscraig Flats or Forth View will have a response time increasing from two to 24 minutes. “Reducing height appliance response times for the hospital seems inconceivable,” he said. “It is in constant use including recently at Asda in Kirkcaldy and at the former Rick’s Nightclub in Methil. Together with the excellent fire fighting staff, a fast response height appliance is a vital safety asset for our communities.”

There was cross party support with Councillor Ken Caldwell (Buckhaven, Methil & Wemyss, SNP) - a former fire officer - hitting out: “There are 10 pumps to be removed across Scotland, and it seems very unfair, and dangerous, that two should be removed from fire stations next to each other. Removing them would mean that support would be required more often and would take longer to arrive at the scene. In a fire, or road traffic incident, speed is of the essence and could make the difference between saving or losing a life, a building or a home from destruction.”

The fire service said it was “right and proper to identify efficiencies to deliver value for money while maintaining operational resilience”

Mr Farries said: “We have identified ten stations where we can temporarily remove an appliance with the least impact. We are also reducing our fleet of vehicles that can operate at height, on a phased basis, taking ageing vehicles off the run and redeploying or introducing a series of modern, specialist vehicles dedicated specifically to dealing with such incidents”