Dame Jackie Baillie, Minister Siobhan Brown and Conservative Pam Gosal.
By Bill Heaney
“Decisions on the location of fire stations, along with vehicles, equipment and the people who are needed to deal with responding to emergencies, are a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s chief officer.
“The emergencies that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service responds to have changed significantly over the years.
“For example, dwelling fires have reduced by 20 per cent since 2013. At the same time, we have seen the risks of flooding and wildfires increasing.
“It is therefore sensible for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to carry out a service delivery review to ensure that its resources are in the right place at the right time.
“It is currently consulting on its review, with a closing date of 16 September. Until the results of the consultation have been properly analysed, no decisions have been taken.
Jackie Baillie replied: “It is the Scottish Government that has cut the fire service budget by millions of pounds, so, ultimately, it is her responsibility.
“The proposal to downgrade Helensburgh fire station is quite simply reckless.
“The station already has a problem with recruiting sufficient numbers of retained firefighters to cover the existing appliances, never mind the additional overnight cover under those proposals.
“In the previous year, the availability of appliances was at only 50 per cent at night and a staggeringly low 20 per cent at the weekend.
“That lack of coverage makes the downgrading short-sighted. Will the minister agree with me and her Scottish National Party colleague Brendan O’Hara that the proposal is reckless and should be scrapped?
Siobhan Brown told Dame Jackie: “First, I need to highlight that, since 2017-18, there have been substantial year-on-year increases of funding to support the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
“The current annual budget is more than £97 million more than it was in 2017-18. This year alone, there is an additional £18.8 million in support for front-line services.
“We understand that this is not a cost-cutting exercise. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is undertaking a service delivery review, and there is a live, full public consultation. I encourage everybody to take part in that consultation.”
Pam Gosal, West Scotland Conservative List MSP told the MInister: “I have been contacted by constituents who have expressed concerns about the change in working patterns at Helensburgh and Milngavie fire stations.
“Last month, I met Scottish Fire and Rescue Service representatives who cover the west of Scotland and I expressed the concerns of local residents.
“The representatives to whom I spoke admitted that response times could increase, as on-call firefighters would have to travel from their homes to the station and then to the destination.
“Does the minister agree that that model risks putting lives in danger?”
Siobhan Brown replied: “No, I do not agree with the member’s assumption. As I said, this is an operational issue for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. No decisions have currently been made, and I encourage the member and her constituents to take part in the consultation.”