Fire service shake-up: public have their say at series of meetings in Fife
The Scottish Fire & Rescue Service (SFRS) is looking to make contentious changes it made in 2023 permanent - and that could see stations in Fife emerging as winners or losers.
Perhaps the most contentious plan is to cut the number of appliances at Lochgelly and Methil Fire Stations from two to just one each - the second appliance at Methil was one of the ones temporarily withdrawn in the 2023 shake-up.
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Hide AdMore than 3000 people have already signed a petition opposing any reduction in cover out of Lochgelly. Annabelle Ewing MSP has also branded the move as “unfathomable.”


The fire service also proposes to re-instate the second appliance it took out of Glenrothes two years ago - another option is to cut its fleet of vehicles from two to one. In Dunfermline, proposals include replacing the third appliance which is a combined aerial rescue pump (CARP) with a dedicated high reach appliance.
SFRS is now embarking on a 12-week public consultation which will include meetings at venues across Fife.
They are at Studio 8, Church Street, Glenrothes on Monday, July 12; Methil Education Centre, Bowling Green Street on Wednesday, July 23; Lochgelly Centre on Monday, August 4, and Dell Farquharson Community Centre, Dunfermline on Wednesday, August 6, all running from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.
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Hide AdYou can confirm attendance in advance by emailing [email protected]
In 2023, the service was faced with an £11m Scottish Government budget and had to “spend public money wisely.”
Chief Officer Stuart Stevens said: “Building a modern fire and rescue service that is fit for purpose is the reason we are bringing these proposed changes forward. We have a duty to ensure that the right resources are in the right locations to meet new risks that exist within today’s communities.” “We have a backlog of repairs in our buildings, fleet and equipment that would cost more than £800 million to address and this just isn’t an option available to our service. Therefore, along with the need for sustained investment we need to consider how we operate and reduce running costs for assets that are not serving our staff or communities.”
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